Kept For Life
by Hawkeye4077
Summary: An alternative ending for "Left For Dead". In mine, the bomb McNeil drops is more powerful. The NCIS agents are caught in the blast. Can they all survive? Swearing, Gibbs and Tony whump. In season 1 so Kate's here. Gibbs/Tony father/son.
1. Misery's Introduction

**A/N: Since my last NCIS fic was so well received, I decided to forgo my Stargate SG-1 WIP to produce this. It's an alternative ending to the season 1 episode **_**Left For Dead**_** which, if you missed or have yet to see that episode, it can be linked to from my profile page**** - click on the _Left For Dead _hyperlink in blue.**

**Personally, I found the original ending a bit disappointing (maybe that's just because they didn't use the excuse of an explosion to hurt Gibbs or Tony xD) and so wrote an alternative. So here you go. It goes off canon a bit but I promise it'll be back on the rails by the end.  
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**A huge thanks goes out to all of you who encouraged me on my last venture into the world of NCIS, and I hope you will enjoy this as much.**

**Disclaimer: The characters of NCIS belong to DPB - unfortunately I don't have enough money, and never will, to buy the rights - and I don't make any money from using part of their storyline in my own.  
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The NCIS agents watched in horror as Susanne McNeil – a bomb maker for B.F.F. (Bombe Fermentdeckung Fabrik) – dropped the small plasticine-like sphere that Brauer said was a bomb. As soon as it hit the ground, a ball of flame engulfed Steven Brauer and his mistress, sending a wall of intense dry heat hurtling towards the agents. The shockwave from the explosion followed nanoseconds behind, flinging them back as if they were dolls. Agent DiNozzo flew back, carried by the wave of energy and slammed into the wall behind him, his head snapping back and whacking into the vertical surface. For a moment, he knew excruciating pain in his shoulder and skull – black spots dancing in his blurry vision then slumped into a dusty heap at the foot of the wall unconscious, fragments of wood raining down on him.

For Kaitlin Todd the explosion had much the same effect, although less severe repercussions even though she had been closer to the blast. She was flung backward at a great rate of knots into the lobby – the shockwave dumping her on the floor and piling other debris on top of her. There were minor burns running up her forearms and small cuts littered her smooth face as she lay there motionless.

Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, however, was not as lucky. The detonation had splintered the wooden furniture that filled the room into hundreds of smaller pieces, each with new, sharpened ends with jagged edges. These were sent speeding towards the agents at high speed, embedding them in anything that stood in their path. The majority of the coarse javelins missed the people in the room, but one plunged itself deep into Gibbs' shoulder, its serrated edges tearing into his flesh. He had no time to react – he barely comprehended anything other than that sudden agonizing burn in his shoulder – as he was thrown backwards, smashing through the floor-to-ceiling glass wall in one corner and colliding with the wall and then, as his momentum caused him to literally bounce off the wall, sprawled forwards and somehow managed to land on his speared right shoulder. Covered in debris, he groaned as he rolled over onto his back, squinting at the weakened ceiling above him. He shifted in an attempt to dislodge some of the wreckage covering him, only to spark stronger pain all over his body. For once, he allowed the darkness of unconsciousness to consume him.

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**A/N: Yes, the first chapter is very short, but it is really only meant to act as an introduction, and I promise the other chapters will be longer...honest.**

**Please tell me what you think – I value all the reviews I get and I want to know if you have any ideas on where this could go (I've already written most of it, but with my last fic I learnt that the readers often catch things you've forgotten about xD).**


	2. Memories Of A Glass Sanctuary

**A/N: Wow, that first chapter was definitely well received. :) Thanks to all of you who reviewed - silvanelf, Flyboy-co, Anne, Gloworm41, hudson911, Krows Scared and hotchner.**

** Anne - You're welcome and you're right - there is too much Tiva going round and not enough Gibbs whump...but I think I'm starting to balance that out now xD**

**So, chapter 1 is longer than the introduction and I hope you enjoy it.**

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"_I was younger then, immature, a little unfocused—"_

"_It was six months ago, Tony!" Gibbs replies, frowning. Kate watches the C.E.O. and his bomb maker talk to each other half way across the room. Something is bothering her, I can tell. The silence between Gibbs and me is growing and I am more than a little relieved when she speaks, breaking the glare Gibbs is currently giving me._

Hey, I only got back from that club at three in the morning – not exactly _late_ for a Friday night. Alright, I was so drunk I rang the wrong doorbell, then knocked over Gibbs' fence when I realised it was the wrong house, but still...he didn't need to shove me under a freezing cold shower, and then make me sleep on the floor in his living room... At least I didn't throw up!

_Kate's arms are folded as she speaks and she stares at the conversing pair. "She said 'Someone bashed the poor man's head in.' How did she know that Richter's head was bashed in? I couldn't see his wound; nobody told her how he died!" Kate pauses and looks between Gibbs and Susanne. "She remembered!" Now my partner is starting to walk towards the pair._

_Susanne stands up, her hand extended towards the German, and they continue to exchange quiet words. Suddenly Brauer also stands, fear evident on his face. Then he shouts to us. "Sie hat eine Bombe!" Kate is first to draw her weapon, closely followed by Gibbs and myself, and takes another step forward. I can't see her face but I assume she has that shocked expression that she usually has when something seems to be against her initial profile of the person. "Susanne!" Slowly the bomb fabricator turns to us and I can see a grey object in her hand. "Sorry, Kate."_

_As if in slow motion, I watch as she turns her hand over and the object drops. It hits the ground and there is a flare of light, momentarily blinding me. I see Kate dive to the right to avoid the brunt of the blast, but she is thrown back past me...I think. The brief ball of fire obscures my vision and I squeeze my eyes shut against the heat. Behind me, I hear Gibbs shout at us, telling us to duck, then I'm plucked from the spot and flung back myself, slamming into the wall. I have no idea where Gibbs is – I can't see him, nor can I hear him calling out survival instructions as I imagined he would in this sort of a situation. Just silence...and the crash of falling masonry...and the wail of a fire alarm.  
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"Gibbs! Kate!" Tony jerked awake, pain shooting through his shoulder and the back of his skull. He was leaning with his back against the wall – the cold of the concrete diffusing through his suit jacket. The room spun as he twisted his head to survey the destruction surrounding him. In the middle of the room, where Susanne and Brauer had once been, there was only blackened ceiling tiles and smashed furniture. Tony's preliminary survey had revealed nothing about the whereabouts of his colleagues, although he knew they could not be far away. Leaning forward and grimacing in pain, Tony pushed a broad panel of wood off his legs, which were crumpled one under the other. It was heavier than he thought it would be – using only his weaker left hand – and the effort left him puffing for breath, wincing at the sharp twinges that knifed into his shoulder, and trying to block the waves of nausea that threatened to overwhelm him as he sat up straight again, leaning his pounding head back against the wall.

When the relentless nausea finally abated, leaving only a throbbing headache, he achingly unfolded his legs and slowly worked up the courage to attempt to stand, fearing the inevitable onslaught of a mixture of extreme pain – as he levered himself from the floor – and dizziness. In his head, he chanted the most pressing reasons for getting up.

_Find Gibbs. Find Kate...Find Gibbs...Find Kate..._

Holding his right arm tight across his chest, Tony rolled onto his left side and pushed himself up with his other hand. Fresh pain lanced through his injured joint, and for a moment he considered sitting back down and waiting for help to arrive. The loyal-member-of-Team-Gibbs side of him overruled his feeling of helplessness, however, forcing him to persevere. He pushed through the pain and eventually managed to stand, swaying and with his eyes clamped shut – desperately trying to ignore the spinning room that left him blind as well as sickeningly dizzy. Frantically trying to retain his balance, Tony clung to the wall with his free hand. After he had regained his poise, the senior field agent surveyed his surroundings for the third time – this time focusing on working out where he had been when the bomb went off, also mentally marking where his co-workers had been.

Taking a deep breath that caused more pain than it eased, Tony began stumbling over to his original position. The throbbing in his head had steadily increased as he journeyed over the wreckage and he found it increasingly difficult to navigate his way – despite it only being a twenty metre trip.

_Was I _really_ thrown twenty metres across this room? ...And with enough force to...to do God knows what to my shoulder?_

Bit by bit each stride had become a shuffled step, eventually leading to a halt in DiNozzo's painful progress and forcing him to sit down again to both catch his breath and cradle his head in his hand. The debris piled high in the room slowed his progress as much as the growing headache and injured shoulder that hindered his movement – it had taken him ten minutes to reach halfway.

_I wonder what I _have _done to my shoulder...Man, it hurts – must be bad. Maybe I should ask Gibbs when I find him...In fact, he's probably outside already, co-ordinating rescue teams...But if he was out already, wouldn't he have come and found me and Kate? Maybe he's not out...Maybe he's lying under all this rubble...Where's Kate? She was closest to the blast so she should be worse off than Gibbs and me...If Abby's taught me anything about physics in the last two years...Ok, so maybe Kate's not worst off._

Deciding he needed to get moving again, Tony steeled himself against the pain and hauled himself to his feet. Yet again, he had to battle against the waves of giddiness that washed over him, threatening to drop him to the ground once more. He staggered his way over to his destination – another ten minutes of exhaustive stumbling – and again his shoulder twinged painfully – with each step jolting his skull and making him feel even sicker.

Reaching his destination, Tony slumped down onto an intact, overturned table, cradling his arm as if his life depended on it – his job most certainly did. The twenty minutes of continuous stumbling, tripping, slipping and cursing had taken its toll on the young NCIS agent and he was breathing hard, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his forehead Then, suddenly remembering his own cell, Tony rummaged through his pockets but in the end came up empty-handed. He cursed and then resigned himself to resting. Finally sitting still, DiNozzo scrutinized his shoulder wound more closely. On first glance it appeared to just be dislocated, but a closer examination exposed a lump that indicated that his collarbone had also been broken in his tousle with a concrete wall.

_I'll ask Gibbs when I find him – he'll know._

Progressively, Tony's breathing became easier and returned to near normal and the drum player in his head muted the crashing cymbals, allowing his headache to sink to an ignorable thud at the back of his cranium. This allowed Tony to undertake a more thorough observation of the damaged building.

Aside from the debris strewn across the room, covering every square inch of the place in varying depths of rubble, there were several areas where a human body could be buried – indicated by strange mounds. These, Tony decided, would be where he started his search, imprinting the whereabouts of every single one into his memory. He was not prepared for the flare of pain that lanced through his brain and he slammed his eyes shut, desperately fighting the urge to throw up. Another spasm of pain shot through his shoulder and he groaned, again resisting his stomach's urge to release its contents. His chest rose and fell as if he had run a marathon – he was hyperventilating. Urgently, Tony tried to school his breathing back to normal, but when that failed, he decided to change tack.

_What're you doing, Tony? ...This is so going to hurt!_

Reaching up with his left hand, the NCIS agent pressed firmly against his shoulder, insisting to himself that his actions were going to reduce his shoulder back to its original position, rather than make him pass out.

_DiNozzos never pass out! DiNozzos never pass out!  
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The minute he felt the head of his humerus pop back into the socket, Tony released his hold on consciousness, slipping into a numb blackness and falling backwards to lie haphazardly on the mass of ruin beneath him.

_...Unless they make themselves..._

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_**A/N: Ta-daa. Review if you like. Review if you don't like. Just tell me what you honestly think please.**

**Next chapter'll be up soon...  
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	3. Awaken The Dreamers

**A/N: I feel obliged to say how great it feels to have such a mature audience - one who regularly offers encouragement, sensible input and constructive criticism. Thanks guys :D So**  
**thanks to all the reviewers for the last chapter - Gloworm41, hudson911, hotchner, twomoms, Pen, diana teo (who also reviewed Chp. 1. Thanks), NcisRulz, silvanelf and finally Krows Scared.**

**Pen - 'stupid frat boy' Tony is hilarious at times but you're right, now is the time for a sensible DiNozzo.**

**Anyway, I shall leave you to read this in peace - my author's notes seem to get longer and --- oh, I'm rabbiting again xD ...  
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Something was dribbling down his cheek – he could feel it, barely, against the incessant background burning that coursed from the back of his skull, down his neck and into his shoulders (where the blazing pain seemed to be most intense) then seeping out, like tendrils, into his arms right down to the tips of his calloused fingers. The pain did not stop at his fingers, however: instead it sliced into his ribs and down through his lower limbs. One leg seemed almost numb, with only the faintest inkling of pain residing there. His brain could barely understand what his body was telling him – or rather what it was not – yet gradually it dawned on him what that lack of sensation meant.

_I _cannot_ lose my leg... What the hell happened?  
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He pulled at his trapped leg, moaning as he barely felt something slice through his flesh, easing through it as if it were jelly. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to find it almost entirely dark. A small square of light flickered above him, making him squint as his eyes re-adjusted to this sudden light source. When he was able to open his eyes fully, he rolled them around to see where he was trapped – his head seemed to also be pinned in its current location. He found the light had not only illuminated his face but also the wreckage that held him down – it covered him from chest downward – and above him was a combination of wooden planks, furniture legs, glass shards, grimy ceiling tiles and bricks.

_Oh right, explosion, yeah...I remember now._

Gingerly, the man managed to release his left arm, stubbornly ignoring the protests from his ribs and other shoulder, and reached up to widen the hole, intending to dig himself out of the remains. However, he managed only to widen it by a few inches before he became aware of the large beam that swayed precariously almost directly above his stomach, restrained there by two short bolts already showing signs of the enormous stress upon them.

_That would be good wood to use for my next boat..._

He froze, not only because of the hounds of pain thrashing at the gates of his mind but also because he feared moving would cause further stress and shear the bolts.

For a long time, he simply stared at it, irrationally believing that if he stared at it for long enough and hard enough the beam would magically reattach itself to the other joists and would no longer threaten to crush him. He knew it was a stupid idea but he stared at it all the same – after all, there was nothing else he could do. He had no concept of how long he spent glaring at it, willing it to return to its place amongst the other rafters: he only knew the moment when his fierce glower had not been enough, and the bolts pinged away. There was a loud creak and then the sound of wood splintering – a sound he knew very well. Instinct took over and the man called out the only name he could think of that would stand a cat's chance in hell of stopping what he knew was coming...

At least that was what he had intended, but, just as he began to shout, the wood embedded in his shoulder was twisted by some unseen force, leaving him squirming (as much as the crushing force of wreckage on his lower legs would allow) in desperation to get away from the falling beam. His shout had been reduced to a strangled whimper, but he did not have the strength or the will, let alone the time, to try again. Instead, he allowed his head to thump back on to the ground beneath him, breathing heavily with his eyes open yet unseeing – overloaded by the flare of pain.

_Ah, hell..._

The beam crashed onto the debris covering him, pushing him down painfully onto the shards of glass below. For a brief moment, he felt an irrational flood of relief at the strong spike of pain that shot through his previously numb leg. Then he was unconscious – aware of nothing, let alone the dust that drifted down lazily and gathered on his exposed face, turning him paler and grey.

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For the second time that day, Tony was yanked awake: this time by a thunderous crash instead of pain in his shoulder. The pain was still there but it was dulled by the sudden sense of urgency to look for any other signs of collapse Tony had acquired. Immediately he leapt to his feet and scanned the room, despite it spinning and black spots dancing in his vision. Thirty metres behind him, a cloud of dust had risen and was steadily dissipating as Tony gawked.

_There wasn't a hulk of wood there the last time I looked._

Once more clasping his injured arm close to his chest, Tony carefully made his way to the newest site of destruction. Once there he rested for a while, as he glanced around him – looking for anything that would indicate the location of his co-workers and also watching for signs of the next collapse.

_I need to find Gibbs and Kate before this whole building comes down... Why can't we, just for once, come away from a case involving explosions completely unscathed?  
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A dusty, black leather pouch poking from under a brick was Tony's first reason to get excited: it was Gibbs' empty gun holster. The clasp had been ripped from the man's belt in the explosion, hopefully flinging it in the same direction as its owner.

_It _has _to be Gibbs': Kate, possessive as she is, wrote her name inside hers; it can't be mine, either, because I still have the clasp for mine attached to my belt. I doubt Brauer was carrying, and why would Susanne bring a gun when she had a bomb?_

Standing up straight after pocketing the holster in his torn suit jacket, Tony looked around for further signs. A tangled mess of plastic and circuitry caught Tony's eye and he picked it up, turning it over in his palm. He recognised the signs of Gibbs' frustrated abuse of the phone – repeated slamming off desks, violent snaps shut, angry collisions with walls trapped between a calloused palm and a concrete wall – the hinges were already cracked and the screen on the inside was barely held by the glue.

_He only got this like a week ago – that was a bad week._

In vain hope he looked around again, but this time there were no other indicators, although two of the larger heaps of rubble he had noticed before were closest to the holster and ruined phone.

Choosing the nearest one and steeling himself against the throbbing pain in his shoulder, the senior field agent began shoving aside several rough wooden planks and concrete block after concrete block. The beam that had fallen from the ceiling was too heavy to lift, but Tony had managed to slide it off the pile of rubble, giving him clear access to the rest. After thirty minutes of sustained exhaustive effort, however, Tony began to think there was no one under all the destroyed building material. Gradually, as he became more and more certain there was no one underneath, his pace slowed until he found he was too weak from pain to continue and collapsed onto the remaining pile, cradling his arm again and drenched in sweat.

In his feverish digging, Tony had failed to notice a buzzing sound overriding all other noises had developed in his ears, and it now blanketed him. Momentarily, he wondered if this would be the end of his relatively young career in law enforcement...In fact his career as a whole – if he was deaf there was no way he would find a decent job. He had spent two years under Gibbs, and earlier he had resented the hard task-master but slowly, as the Gibbs rules began to seep into his brain, the long, demanding hours his boss forced him to work began to pay off – he got more senior assignments while on a case, Gibbs _seemed_ to respect him more (at least he had stopped calling him Probie). If truth be told, Tony could not imagine working anywhere else, and the thought of losing all he had worked so hard for unsettled him, to say the least.

As he rested and the pain in his shoulder slowly abated to a dull throb so did his hearing return. When he heard the gentle crackle of flames licking at objects around him, he grinned broadly – relieved to be able to hear again. His oafish smile, however, was abruptly straightened as he became aware of another, less encouraging sound. Tony could not hear the thunder of hundreds of B.F.F. employees rushing from the building but he did not know for how long he had been unconscious and assumed they had already evacuated.

_They probably don't even know we're here!_

But there _was_ a troubling moan coming from underneath his perch on the rubble.

He leapt to his feet, and the moan quickly stopped – only to start again as Tony pulled at a piece of wood sticking vertically out of the rubble. "What the hell?" The young NCIS agent exclaimed, his mind racing through all the possible identities to which that pitiful sound could belong. There had only been the three navy investigators, Susanne McNeil and Steven Brauer in the room when the boom had gone off. The ceiling had collapsed _after_ the blast and anyone who had fallen through would have been on top of the pile, but there was no one. The B.F.F. C.E.O. and his severely disgruntled mistress had presumably been killed instantly by the high-powered explosive – at least Tony hoped so – leaving only two of the three NCIS. Gibbs' gun holster had been close to the pile and there were no indications that it could be Kate Todd.

Careful not to press down on the piled-up wreckage, Tony leant closer to it and called, "Boss, that you?" He did not really expect any coherent response and so was only slightly worried when he received no answer at all. He waited a few moments more then began digging, ignoring the stabbing pain it caused. His hands were already grazed from his previous digging excursion, and his renewed efforts formed new ones and reopened the older ones, leaving them bloody, the dirt stinging as it caught in the wounds. Tony's first attempt at clearing the area had made a significant dent in the heap of concrete and wood, but there was still a lot for him to slave his way through.

The pain in his shoulder increased until it reached almost unbearable levels, but still Tony continued, shoving it aside, and forced himself to concentrate back on the task in hand – he had put his failure to notice his lack of hearing down to his single-mindedness in the search for his teammates – and again his determination returned, pitching him into a noiseless capsule of deep concentration and blocking out the pain that plagued his body, threatening to make him pass out.

That was another of the numerous tricks Gibbs had taught him during Tony's two years at NCIS – that was one of the reasons Tony had become so loyal to the older man: he actually _taught_ Tony things, imparting his years of experience and wisdom on the young DiNozzo – not like his father who ignored him constantly. That same technique of focusing on anything _other_ than the source of pain was what Tony used now in his desperate bid to save his fellow NCIS agents, his friends, the closest people he had to family.

Eventually his efforts – both at blocking the pain and digging through the mass of destruction were rewarded as he peeled back a wooden plank to reveal a cut, bloodied and pained face. "Shit!" He muttered. The eyes were shut, although Tony could not tell if that was from being squeezed shut by their owner or because of the blood caked over the bruised face. He threw himself to his knees beside the face and reached out a hand to feel for a pulse in the carotid artery. Tony was extremely relieved to find one, fast but strong. Releasing the breath he did not realise he had been holding, Tony bent down and whispered to the still form below him. "Gibbs. Wake up. C'mon, boss, wake up."

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**A/N: *insert usual requests for reviews here***

**Next chapter'll hopefully be up tomorrow - trying to sort out me tutoring someone maths at the moment...**


	4. Whispers, I Hear You

**A/N: W00t. Already this fic has been given more reviews for the first three chapters than the whole of my first fic got so YAY :D  
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**Thanks to all the reviewers - diana teo, silvanelf, hudson911, Gloworm41, Pen, CD57, BAMACRUSH, Krows Scared, bookworm2dance, hotchner and louise.**

** Pen - 'maths' is just what I say (my dad says it like there's a 'z' on the end which is _really_ annoying) it's probably a regional difference - I live in Scotland. I'm also not quite sure which of those things you think I'd hold against you - that you're English (I'm half English) or that you teach Physics (I've done the Scottish equivalent at GCSE level and it was one of my favourite subjects...I've even read _A Brief History of Time, _for cryin' out loud xD). Either way I don't hold it against you. :)**

**Anyway, I can hear you shouting 'Get on with it!' so I'll stop...**

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Tony leant back to study the man's face, only to find piercing blue eyes staring up at him as if demanding a report. Tony recognised Gibbs' attempts at shielding the pain but saw it did not quite work. "Boss..." That single word with all its loaded inflection was enough to convey Tony's concern to the other man.

"I'm fine, DiNozzo. Where's Kate?" Gibbs asked, resolutely refusing to give a proper answer to Tony's concealed question. Tony snorted – Gibbs' breathing was laboured, sweat had already soaked into the collar of his shirt and his voice was soft yet hoarse, not to mention the blood. There was no way Gibbs was 'fine'. But, knowing that deflecting concern away from himself was Gibbs' defence mechanism against pain, Tony played along. "To be honest, boss, I don't know. I found you first." Again Tony studied the man's face, this time for any sign of rebuke, but only noticed the blood smeared across Gibbs' face oozing from a single nasty gash on his cheek. Gibbs' eyes seemed to glaze over momentarily while Tony was speaking, but, each time Tony moved, those fierce blue eyes seemed to widen and pain flitted across the man's face. Gibbs sighed as he noticed his subordinate watching him and closed his eyes. "I'm fine, DiNozzo. I can get myself out. Just find Kate."

"As soon as I've got you out, boss. Then I'll find her." Tony argued. Gibbs growled weakly then nodded his grudging agreement.

Warily, Tony removed the debris that covered Gibbs' torso, chucking it away from them, and leaving only his lower legs buried – it was too heavy for him to lift with just one arm. His first frantic digging had quickly tired him out, and now Tony was trying to be more efficient at removing the rubble. Peeling away a piece of copper piping, Tony grimaced then forced himself not to look away as his action revealed a gruesome sight – the shredded mess of Gibbs' speared right shoulder, a spike of wood, about three centimetres in diameter, sticking out of the man's torn flesh. He swore softly and looked back at Gibbs who was pale and sweating profusely, yet somehow managing to maintain his stern glare at Tony. "Jesus, Gibbs! Your shoulder's a mess... _You_ look like shit, boss." Gibbs rolled his eyes and chuckled softly, making him cough.

"Ya think, DiNozzo?" He looked at his junior agent properly for the first time and his expression changed from pain to concern as he took in Tony's distorted shoulder and Tony's wince each time he moved it. Gibbs thought it might be more serious but could not tell from the angle. "You're not looking so hot yourself, Tony." Tony shrugged carefully, trying to avoid moving his injured shoulder. It did not work and he cursed. "Think it's dislocated...though my collarbone feels broken, too." Gibbs smiled wryly despite it pulling at the deep laceration in his cheek.

"For once, DiNozzo, I think you're right..." Gibbs coughed again and closed his eyes. Tony thought he was unconscious, or worse, and instantly fumbled for a pulse, only to find it almost exactly the same as when he had last checked. Instinctively, Tony reached out to place a hand on the man's nearest shoulder, forgetting it was occupied at present by the wooden lance, then stopped himself.

Deciding to investigate the extent of the damage to Gibbs' shoulder, Tony took out his knife – one of many Gibbs rules: never go anywhere without a knife – and slowly cut away Gibbs' outer jacket and then his shirt, leaving him wearing only his usual white T-shirt. "I'll buy you a new one, boss, as soon as we get out of this." He whispered to the man before cutting away the remaining cloth, exposing Gibbs' bruised and misshapen chest.

_Definitely got some rib damage._

After gently running his hands over his boss' chest to check how many broken ribs he had, Tony probed around the bleeding wound, also trying to find out if the source of the bleeding was anything major. Suddenly, making Tony jump and swiftly remove his fingers from Gibbs' reach, there was a high-pitched yelp that sounded very un-Gibbs like. Stunned, Tony stared at the man lying prone and still half-buried on the floor in front of him, Gibbs' eyes squeezed tightly shut and the rest of his body tensed. Tony had thought Gibbs could not get any paler. He was wrong. All remaining colour had fled his face, and it had taken on a deathly-pale complexion.

After a long, tense moment, Tony started breathing again and spoke soothingly to the agitated man. "I'm sorry, boss – I thought you were out of it... I didn't think the pain would—" Gibbs coughed and cut him off. "No, DiNozzo...You didn't _think_...That was the problem." The sentences came in short gasps. Despite the pain pulsing through his shoulder, Gibbs clamped his right hand round Tony's forearm, squeezing it agonizingly tight. "Find...Kate." He wheezed – his voice still weak.

"But boss—" Tony protested, only to be interrupted again. Gibbs tried to push himself up onto his elbows, grunted then fell back.

_Maybe that's not a good idea..._

Knowing that any assistance he offered would only make it worse, Tony did not reach out to help the struggling man. "Agent DiNozzo...if you don't get a move on...find Agent Todd...this'll be your last case...you work at NCIS...Is...that...clear?" Gibbs' voice had regained some of its gruffness, but his stare was not quite recovered. Nevertheless, the threat seemed all too genuine for Tony's rebellious streak to question. Compelled to do as Gibbs ordered, Tony launched himself to his feet and, with one final worried glance at Gibbs, began working his way to the other, smaller mounds of ruins. Suddenly standing up had not been one of Tony's greatest ideas – the swirling room left him blind as well as sickeningly dizzy – but he was determined not to let it show. Gibbs' warning had left Tony thinking that maybe he was not as respected by Gibbs as he had previously thought – he certainly did not trust Tony enough to tell him anymore than 'I'm fine. I don't need your help.'

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As Tony stumbled away, Gibbs almost regretted his harsh command, but his junior agents were much more important than himself – he just wished they would see it that way. He winced as he heard a clatter followed by a loud stream of expletives.

_Damn it, DiNozzo! I should have let him rest...I should have _ordered_ him to rest._

He raised his pounding head off the ground, trying to drag his shoulders up with it, but the excruciating stabs the motion caused was enough to overcome Gibbs and he sank back once more to the floor. Realising he was not going anywhere at the moment (not that he would ever admit that realisation), Gibbs settled for calling out to his clumsy colleague. "DiN—" Abruptly, Gibbs was crushed by the pain even that short expulsion of air brought. He gritted his teeth and groaned, struggling to quash the nausea that washed through him. He battled feebly against the pull of unconsciousness that was steadily strengthening. It was like trying to wade through waist deep treacle and Gibbs was swiftly losing the little strength he had left fighting it. Either way – whether he succumbed to it or struggled against it – there could only be one result. Not one to give up, Gibbs fought to the end when his eyes drifted shut against his own volition.

* * *

Tony struggled to push himself through all the debris – the desperate digging he had done to get to Gibbs had exhausted his bruised body. It may only have been thirty or forty metres that he stumbled but it felt like a full-length marathon when he fell to his knees, still calling Kate's name. Like his search for Gibbs, there had been no answer to his calls, but Tony would not give up the hope that both Kate and Gibbs were not getting out of this one alive. Forcing himself to his feet, Tony stumbled on. He staggered from one heap of rubble to another, pushed aside rubble until he reached the floor and then picked himself up again. The level of adrenaline flowing through his bloodstream had dulled the pain, but it was not enough to block the pain each time he knocked his injured arm.

Tripping over another charred block of concrete, Tony spun and ended up sitting on his ass, cursing everything he could see or think of that was in some way related to the hell he was in now. When he ran out of insults Tony glanced at his watch, trying to interpret the swirl of lines that suddenly assaulted his brain. He blinked to clear his vision then stared at the watch again. The face was cracked and the hands had stopped turning.

_Damn! My favourite, too!_

For the last time, Tony glanced around the large room, hoping to find Kate despite having already checked all of the noticeable piles of rubble. There was nothing: nothing that indicated where she was, nothing that indicated where she _could _be. Scrubbing his face with his hand, Tony sighed. Already the adrenaline rush was wearing off and his pain returning with amplified ferocity. If he did not find Kate soon then he would be in no shape to help her _or_ Gibbs. He closed his eyes and tried to picture the events leading up to and during the explosion but realised too late that, instead of trying to see in his mind's eye where Kate had landed, he was falling asleep.

_Don't even think abou—_

* * *

_Meanwhile_

_Ugh, if Tony teases me for being wrong about Susanne I'll kill him._

Bit by bit, NCIS Special Agent Kaitlin Todd, former Secret Service agent tasked with protecting the president, regained consciousness and became aware of the heavy weight lying across her. Mentally she checked her body for injuries, knowing that the pain would most likely be masked by her body's natural response to a life-threatening situation – flood the whole lot with adrenaline.

_Certainly doesn't feel like I've broken anything...no numbness...Blast must've damaged my eardrums if all I can hear is that annoying buzz – a temporary setback... I hope._

She opened her eyes and pushed herself up onto her elbows, where, she saw, several nasty burns had turned her arms patchy red and black. They stung, but she resisted the urge to scratch the charred skin and instead proceeded to push herself fully upright and gaze around the room.

_I sure didn't expect to get blown up in my first year at NCIS...I didn't expect to get blown up. Period._

Sweeping aside the thin but weighty layer of debris that covered her, Kate hauled herself to her feet then instantly regretted her fast movement – it felt like someone was driving a skewer through her eyeball and into her brain, pushing it straight through the back of her skull. Tentatively, she brushed a hand over the pulsating rear of her cranium, wincing at the lump she felt there. However, aside from the lump, there was no bleeding – leaving her with a severe headache and only minor burns.

_I hope Tony and Gibbs are alright...Speaking of which...where _are_ they?_

She scoured the mass of destruction that surrounded her, searching for any sign of them. She paused on a dusty form sitting on the ground, his head resting on a hand. The dishevelled figure looked surprisingly like—

_Tony!_

Instantly forgetting her own minor injuries and temperamental balance caused by the throbbing headache, Kate rushed over to him, placing an arm on his shoulder. "Tony...?" Kate whispered, her voice sounding distant and weak. The experienced agent jerked awake and groaned, lifting Kate's hand off his injured shoulder. She looked at him in surprise and he explained, "Dislocated...Fractured clavicle." Kate stared at him, watching his lips move but not hearing any sound other than the buzzing that had been there since she woke up.

"Tony, you're going to need to speak up—" She was cut off by Tony raising one finger to his lips, gesturing her to be quiet. Next, he tried to communicate to her that she was shouting. Suddenly catching Tony's meaning, Kate blushed and mouthed, _Thank you.  
_

Searching for a way out, Tony scanned the room again, passing over the area where Gibbs was lying. Abruptly, Tony shot to his feet.

_Gibbs!_

As he swayed on his feet, Kate reached out a hand to steady him and stop him from falling over. "Are you ok? ...Tony?" She asked, not caring if she shouted, but he ignored her and spun 360 degrees, then stumbled out of Kate's loose grip and began striding back to where he had left Gibbs. Each time he tripped, Kate grabbed his arm and kept him from falling. When she noticed his lips moving, the former Secret Service agent realised he had been speaking to her. She grabbed his uninjured arm and gently spun him round – his lack of resistance a sign of the severity of his pain – then placed her hands on either side of his face, forcing him to speak _to_ her. His face was grim, and he gave a long sigh before repeating his dispiriting message to the temporarily – _hopefully_ – deaf woman "I...Gibbs...in blast...ve...very...bad...nee...nd...im...again...thr...shoulder...ribs..." Kate nodded solemnly – she was pretty sure she got the gist of what he had repeated: it was bad, very bad. "Where?" Tony turned away and pointed to where Gibbs lay, as far as he could remember.

"...hurry..." The single word Kate heard conveyed to her all the concern Tony felt. She nodded once and they set off again.

* * *

**A/N: Well there you go. The whole team is back together - not all in one piece but they're a team again... Review if you feel like it *grins like Gibbs in _Yankee White_* Pleeease. xD**

**Not sure if I'll get the chance to update over the next two days because I'm tutoring but I'll try.**

**Finally, **** I owe you an apology because I'd forgotten that Fan Fiction changes the width of the page when you upload and so I'd also forgotten to go through and move dialogue from differnet people onto separate lines. So I apologise for any confucion there may have been over who was speaking... I've remembered now so there shouldn't be anymore of that...  
**


	5. Pain Redefined

**A/N: Sorry about the extra day you had to wait for this update - wasp stings to myeyelid and 3 hours of maths tutoring ruined my update schedule.**

**Thanks to all the reviewers - silvanelf, Moonlight83, laoisbabe, hudson911, Gloworm41, diana teo, twomoms, Pen, bookworm2dance. I know I say this everytime _and_ when I reply to reviews but I do _really_ do appreciate the feedback.**

**Pen - Thanks for the book recommendations - I'm just about to start _In Search of Schrödinger's Cat_ then I've got a maths one to read, _An Imaginary Tale: The Story of √-1_****. So, you can see I'm having a very interesting (and taxing) summer holiday. Brain twistage is always good. xD  
**

* * *

As Tony reached Gibbs' side, he knelt down awkwardly and fumbled to find a pulse in the man's neck, whispering quietly to him and noting that his legs were still pinned by rubble. In fact, almost nothing seemed to have changed from when Tony had last knelt in the sticky mixture of blood and concrete dust that pooled on the floor.

Kate, who had been following Tony at a distance now that he had mostly regained his balance, saw the full horror of Gibbs' injuries – Tony had not been being melodramatic when describing them – as she caught sight of her boss' exposed chest with small raised lumps at several intervals. Bruises had turned most of the pale skin purple and shallow cuts peppered the area over his right shoulder joint as if to pull your attention inwards to the main visible injury – the sliver of wood that pierced Gibbs' shoulder, blood oozing from around the edges of it and soaking into the cloth Tony had not been able to cut away: it had been forced into the wound by the projectile and was too close to Gibbs skin to risk it.

_Oh God! Gibbs!_

Automatically, she reached out a trembling hand to wrap it around the wooden object that looked very much like the leg of a chair, only for Tony to violently swat her hand away. She glared at him until he tipped his head forward once and she followed his grave gaze. Shocked by the sight that greeted her, she found herself locking eyes with a semi-conscious Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, his eyes barely focusing on her, his face awash with sweat. Tony thought Gibbs' eyes had regained a bit of their usual frigid intensity at the sight of Kate, but she was deeply concerned by the dullness of them, and his unfocused gaze. As recognition poured into Gibbs' eyes, a brief smile flashed across his face and he broke the stare to glance at his senior field agent. At that moment, Kate's eyes were drawn to a thin stream of crimson liquid that forged a path from a deep cut in his cheek, through the dust coating the man's face and neck, then dribbled onto the floor. Gibbs opened his mouth as if to speak and then coughed, sending jarring pain speeding through his chest, as he sucked in a mouthful of dusty air. Kate silently observed that Tony had slipped his right hand into the older man's, allowing him to squeeze it to death – Tony hissed but said nothing, simply waiting for the storm of pain to blow over and for Gibbs to speak.

When he did, his voice was too weak for Kate to hear, and even Tony had to lean forward to hear him properly. "You found her, DiNozzo." His statement sounded vaguely like a question – as if he could not believe it really was Kate and not a hallucination. Tony smiled reassuringly, "Yeah, boss. I found her...Well, actually, boss, she found me, but I—"

"Good job, DiNozzo" Gibbs grunted, interrupting Tony almost effectively as a headslap. However, Tony understood that it was not only praise for 'finding' Kate but also a veiled 'Thank you' for allowing him to see she was alright for himself. "I had a dog like you once, DiNozzo."

"...What do you mean, boss?" Tony asked – unsure whether the statement was a good thing or not – but Gibbs was preoccupied with pain and would not elaborate.

The pain in his chest growing, Gibbs rolled his eyes to look at his shoulder. "Need to take that out, DiNozzo." He wheezed, gulping against the immediate wash of nausea that followed. After a long hesitation – his head swirling with hundreds of different thoughts: pieces of advice given to them at first aid training; guesses at how long the paramedics would be; Gibbs' near-pleading expression – Tony nodded reluctantly and reached out to tap Kate's knee. She was still standing over Gibbs, her mouth ajar as she mentally catalogued the marine's injuries, and Tony's light tap failed to break through to her. He grabbed her limp hand, making her jump then glower down at her assailant. "What?" She yelled, making the former Baltimore cop wince as Gibbs tensed at the unexpected and loud noise. Kate caught the flicker of concern on Gibbs' face and decided it would be best to pre-empt his question. "I'm fine, Gibbs." Again, Tony motioned to her to lower her voice then pulled her down to kneel beside him on Gibbs' right side. "We need to get that..." Tony motioned to the wood with his free hand – the other Gibbs had still not released, "...out of his shoulder." Kate stared at him blankly, having heard only one in five words, so he repeated what he had said twice more until she nodded – understanding but not agreeing.

"Tony, that's insane! We should wait for the EMTs to get here..."

"Kate, have you _seen_ any paramedics? Have you _heard_ any sirens?" Tony yelled in frustration – here he was, trying to take control of the situation in whatever way he could, and Kate would not play ball. She looked at him in confusion. "Of course you haven't." Tony muttered, remembering Kate's inconsistent ability to hear. She looked confused again, having not caught any of what Tony had said. Her hearing was coming back, but sometimes it was as if she was completely deaf whereas others she could faintly hear. "...never mind..." The more experienced NCIS agent added, shaking his head and standing up to step over Gibbs and kneel down on his left.

"What do you want me to do?" Kate asked quietly, trying to draw her eyes away from the bloody wound. She had gone from completely deaf to near-normal hearing in the time it had taken Tony to move over Gibbs, but she didn't think it would stay that way – she prayed it would but didn't believe it. Tony pointed to the bundle of abandoned clothing that he had cut away from Gibbs and waved at her to pass it to him. When she returned to Gibbs' side, Tony continued giving instructions. "You pull it out and I'll hold him down then press this over it to stem the bleeding...Understand?" Kate nodded again then looked back at Gibbs who had closed his eyes again.

"Gibbs..." She whispered. His eyelids fluttered open just long enough for Kate to tell he was conscious. "Gibbs...Are you sure you want us to take it out? I mean, it's really going to hurt – you could bleed to death if it's nicked a major blood vessel and this is—"

"Just...Get on with it." The marine hissed.

Nervously, Tony asked, "Boss...Maybe Kate's right, I mean, shouldn't we—"

Gibbs had shifted slightly so that he could glower angrily at Tony then groaned as the small movement stretched his wound. "Now, DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, clenching his teeth together.

Kate glanced at Tony, who nodded – they were both ready to start. Kate wrapped both hands around the wooden spike and waited until Tony had positioned himself with one knee pinning Gibbs' good shoulder to the ground and his free hand pressing down with the wad of cloth around the wound, ready to apply pressure to the rest of it if they got the wood out. Next, Kate looked to Gibbs, who had turned a lighter shade of white and seemed to be fighting against unconsciousness with every shallow, shuddering breath, for final confirmation that he was _absolutely _sure. He nodded once, faintly. Kate pulled.

* * *

NCIS Agent Kaitlin Todd was exceedingly grateful that her hearing had not yet returned to 100%, such was the volume of Gibbs' strangled scream. As his right hand was squashed within Gibbs' vice-like grip and Gibbs' agonized writhing threatened to knock him off balance, Tony yelped. The gunnery sergeant's eyes locked with Tony's – almost as if Gibbs was apologising to him. The senior field agent nodded then turned on the woman grasping the chair leg that was still embedded in Gibbs' shoulder. "Slowly! Damn it, Kate! Slowly!" Unnecessarily loud, he yelled at Kate, who – still shocked by her boss' pained scream – lifted her head to gaze, bleary-eyed, at her furious colleague. "God...Sorry...Sorry, Gibbs...I'm so sorry..." Tony opened his mouth but was stopped from speaking by a light squeeze to his hand. Instantly, all the anger that his partner could be so stupid fled his body and he stared at Gibbs, amazed that the older man was still conscious let alone lucid enough to attract his attention. "Finish...it...DiNozzo." He looked as if he was about to throw up and the effort of speaking finally tipped Gibbs over the edge into unconsciousness. Tony extracted his throbbing hand from Gibbs' limp grip, shaking it to regain blood flow – careful not to flex his own injured shoulder. He lifted his knee off the man's chest for just long enough to relieve some of the muscle ache that had formed in it then replaced it, pressing down hard once again.

_There's no way he's getting even close to knocking me off again, even if he is unconscious – I'm not taking that chance._

Seizing on the opportunity to work unhindered by Gibbs' pain, Kate yanked the wood again but still it would not budge. However, she had underestimated the pain it would cause, and Gibbs shot awake again, roaring in agony and making Kate immediately let go of the wood, then his jaw clenched and his eyes screamed accusingly at her, forcing Kate turn away, pinpricks of tears forming at the corners of her eyes. All Tony could do was press down with all his weight to stop the thrashing man from sitting up and causing himself further injury. Eventually, Gibbs' struggles became less violent and his jaw slackened, allowing him to take deep jerky breaths, and Tony was able to move off his boss. Still he pressed down with Gibbs' destroyed shirt, even though blood was seeping through the fabric, staining his hands bright red.

_We have _got _to stop this bleeding or he'll bleed out before— No! Anthony DiNozzo, do _not_ go there!_

"Tony, I don't think we're going to get this out. And even if we did get it out how would we stop the bleeding? You're barely stopping it now..." Tony was still compressing the thick material around the edge of the wound, desperately trying to staunch the steady flow of fresh blood that streamed down the injured man's grimy chest to pool on the floor, but he nodded to Kate once.

Tony watched silently as Gibbs' eyelids fluttered, showing he was still awake, if only just, and a tiny tear escaped the man's eyes. Embarrassed, feeling as though he was intruding on some incredibly private matter that definitely did not concern him, Tony shifted uncomfortably, trying to avoid his boss' weak gaze. "It's the dust...Tony." Gibbs croaked, not fooled by the younger man's sudden interest in the glass shards lying at Kate's feet. Tony chuckled, a slight smile flitting across his dirty face, then set his face back to its grim, determined expression and stared into the distance again. "We didn't take it out, boss...you were...you _are_ bleeding too much even without us taking it out."

"I know, DiNozzo." Gibbs sighed, closing his eyes again.

"You _know_! And still you let us try? Jesus, boss! We could have killed you!" Tony was angry now, his face flushed, the embarrassment he had previously felt gone, and he jumped to his feet. He waited in silence for an answer from the man, glaring at him defiantly. "You _could _have but you didn't...I...I trusted you, Tony...and Kate." Gibbs was speaking with his eyes still closed, making it difficult for Tony to read the man. "I knew you'd do what was right...what you thought was best." Tony's mouth was flapping open and shut as he stared at Gibbs.

"But, boss..."

"There's no 'but, boss' about it, DiNozzo... Now sit down...before you fall down..." Gibbs' barely concealed order elicited no response from the junior agent and he did not have the energy to repeat himself more forcefully. Gibbs allowed himself to drift back to sleep, letting someone else take charge for once.

_It's a onetime deal, DiNozzo. Don't screw it up._

* * *

_  
_**A/N: There you go. What do you think? And yes I do know you're _not _supposedto pull out things that you're 'impaled' on... but I just wanted to write that in - see how loyal Tony _really _is...  
**

**A date to remember if you live in the USA - 22nd September NCIS Season 7 BEGINS!! And right after that, you've got NCIS: LA! You lucky buggers :P I only have to wait another...oh...about 4 months until season 6 (that's right, SEASON 6) starts on Five :( ...okay, so I've already seen it :P but still...  
**

***remembers the wonder of megavideo and salutes* Thank you, kind American People! :D  
**


	6. Lifeline

**A/N: **

**Once again, thanks to all the reviewers** **- hotchner, Gloworm41, diana teo, Pen, twomoms, bookworm2dance, silvanelf and Krows Scared - for their encouragement and input and also for keeping me on the straight and narrow with this.**

**Pen - This would be a whole lot easier if you had an account! xD As for _the_ wasp, I was a little busy trying to take my glasses off so that it could fly away and didn't get the chance to exact my retribution :( ...Are you sure you don't know me? I'm planning on studying medicine (which will involve chemistry YAY) at uni but if I don't get in I hope to do medicinal and biological chemistry - the same course as my brother strangely... Love of science must run in the family... I'm definitely pleased you like this so much.**

* * *

Tony jerked back to full awareness as Kate placed a hand on his good shoulder. She waited for him to recall their difficult situation then spoke softly to him, gesturing to the bloody rag he held in his hand. "Tony, I'll take over that. You need to rest." Tony shook his head adamantly, refusing to shift his gaze from the blood-soaked makeshift pressure bandage that was wrapped around the short wooden pole sticking from Gibbs' chest. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate."

"Tony, you look like hell!" At this remark, Tony threw his head back and laughed bitterly, ignoring the reawakening pain in his shoulder.

"Funny, that's pretty much what I said to Gibbs when I found him. 'You look like shit, boss.' I couldn't even carry out his order to find you – you found me." Appalled by Tony's attitude, Kate slapped the back of Tony's head, finally breaking his intent stare.

_Never thought I'd get to do _that_ to Tony!_

"Tony! You cannot do this. Not now. I want to get Gibbs out of this in one piece but I'm going to need your help, not some exhausted idiot who can't even take care of himself!"

"And you think _I _don't want to get Gibbs out?" Tony shouted back, his body tensing, increasing the pressure on Gibbs' shoulder. Gibbs groaned but did not stir.

"Tony, that's not what I meant!" She cried in response, fearful of the effect the terrible situation was having on Tony.

The two agents stared at each other until Gibbs' hoarse whisper interrupted them. "Rule fifteen..." Staring at Gibbs as if he had a third eye, the bickering agents both looked confused, and Gibbs rolled his eyes. "...Rule fifteen: always work as a team...Got it?" Kate nodded sheepishly and Tony flushed, immediately reassured by the marine's reminder to them that he was still alive.

"Yeah, boss..." DiNozzo mumbled, less than enthusiastically. Gibbs frowned disappointedly, pulling uncomfortably at the gash in his cheek.

"DiNozzo..." There was a hint of warning in Gibbs' address of Tony.

"Yeah, boss?"

"Grip." Gibbs ground out through gritted teeth, the pain in his ribs increasing with each breath.

"Boss?" Tony asked, getting more and more concerned by his boss' pained expression and laboured breathing.

"Get one." For a moment, Tony was confused, thinking Gibbs was delirious from pain. Then, finally understanding, Tony laughed loudly. Gibbs' glare stopped his laughter in its tracks.

"Getting a grip, boss!" Tony was almost sitting at attention next to the marine. Gibbs grimaced (it could have been a smile, but Tony could not quite tell) then closed his eyes, allowing the pain to wash over him, and tried to sleep.

Almost as soon as Gibbs had closed his eyes, Tony took on the temporary role of 'Team Leader' and, as if his near-breakdown had not happened, began dishing out instructions to Kate. "Have you got your cell?" Kate hesitated and patted down her pockets then nodded, finally remembering where it was. "Well, if you're looking for something to do, why don't you call Ducky on your cell? Tell him what's happened, where we are exactly, Gibbs' condition – ask him if he has any tips for stopping this persistent bleed – and get him to call EMT dispatch and relay everything you've told him." Kate stood up and took a few steps away from the two men occupying the floor then reached into her pocket and pulled out a battered phone, sighing in frustration as she saw the damage. "I'm not sure if it'll work, Tony..." Tony's pointed glare was enough to intimidate her: it was almost like coming face-to-face with an angry Gibbs. "...But I'll give it a try anyway." For a few minutes, Tony listened as Kate repeatedly tried to phone Ducky, finally getting a connection on the fifth attempt after wandering away from the pair on the ground.

"Oh thank God, Ducky, it's Kate... No no, listen. I don't know how long this connection will last, so I'm going to speak fast... We're at the B.F.F. building, there was an explosion... Yes... I'm fine, but Tony and Gibbs are injured... Tony looks to have broken his clavicle and also dislocated his shoulder... Erm, I don't know, Ducky... Gibbs is bad, though. He's got a deep shoulder wound – a piece of wood is embedded in it – and we can't get it to stop bleeding..." Kate glanced over at Gibbs, catching Tony watching her, even as he turned away to focus on stopping Gibbs' bleeding shoulder. Tony, exhausted though he was, was following Kate's conversation whilst still caring for Gibbs. "...Tony thinks Gibbs has broken some ribs too. He needs to know if you have any ideas to stop the bleeding..." Tony zoned out of the conversation and stole a peek under the makeshift bandage that was finally starting to slow the blood seeping from the edge of the grisly wound. When he resumed the firm pressure, Gibbs grumbled then blinked open his eyes and looked unsteadily at his senior field agent, who was staring at the wood impaled in Gibbs' shoulder. He could barely keep his eyes open as he strained to listen to Kate, eventually working out that she was talking to... someone on the phone, and watch Tony at the same time. "...Erm... We did... No, we're definitely not going to try again... Then I need you to call EMT dispatch and... Ducky? You there? ...Dr. Mallard?" At the ex-Secret Service agent's questions, Tony looked up and watched as Kate moved the cell away from her ear and stared at the screen.

_She must've lost the signal. Crap!_

Lying on the ground, unable to move his head far enough to see what was going on but sensing Kate's distraught tone, Gibbs feebly squeezed the man's hand, which was once again loosely holding Gibbs'.

At Gibbs' weak squeeze, the younger man jumped, wincing at the pain that lanced through his shoulder, then looked down at his older charge. He could not believe that the older, severely injured man could still form coherent thoughts; especially after all he had suffered and was still enduring. Finally finding his voice, Tony opened his mouth to ask Gibbs a question, but it was instantly forgotten because, at that same moment, Gibbs squeezed his eyes shut and his abdomen clenched. Under the blood that splattered Gibbs' face and the dust that coated it, Tony saw the pale colour had been replaced by a sickly green. Something was wrong. "T... T... To... Ahh!" Gibbs, taking short breathless gasps, tried desperately to roll over onto his left side but had not even the strength to lift his head. Frantically, Tony tried to help the marine roll on to his side, but with his right arm incapacitated Tony could only manage so far. "Shit, boss!" Desperately, Tony looked around for Agent Todd – she was scrambling over and around rubble, trying to find a signal. "Kate!" No response.

_Damn it, Kate! Why can't your hearing _work_ when I need you?_

"Kate!" This time Tony's cry caught her attention and, tearing her eyes from the tiny screen, the woman looked up and, seeing Tony's worried face, hurriedly stuffed the cell in her pocket and dashed to help him, falling to her knees and ignoring the protests from her growing headache. "Help me roll him onto his side." Tony instructed, still trying to maintain the pressure around Gibbs' wound with his weak arm.

As quickly as they could, the two younger agents turned Gibbs onto his relatively uninjured side, Tony still pressing the wad of cloth into his shoulder wound, this time with his injured arm, holding Gibbs in place with the other. The marine's legs remained buried under the rubble, making it even more difficult to keep Gibbs on his side, and more painful for the wounded man. Kate grabbed the rest of Gibbs' discarded jacket and bundled it under its owner's head then took over from Tony in holding Gibbs on his side. Tony rubbed circles softly on the senior agent's back, wincing at the pain each spasm inflicted on Gibbs – the tension in his muscles clearly visible as he strained to remain conscious despite the agony flaring in his ribs – even though the retches brought nothing up. Eventually, as the shudders ceased, Gibbs' entire body relaxed and Tony watched as the lines of pain on his face disappeared, hopefully not to reappear until he next awoke.

_Finally. Don't come round too soon, boss._

Using their combined strength, the pair of younger agents managed to gently roll Gibbs onto his back again without waking him.

Silently, Tony turned to his partner and motioned at her to swap with him so that he could maintain the pressure Kate was applying around Gibbs' shoulder while she tried to free Gibbs' legs. "What did Ducky say?" Kate glanced up at Tony, her facial expression telling him all he needed to know. She told him anyway.

"He said we don't have the right things to stop the bleed...He said to apply pressure and wait for the medics... Under no circumstances are we to remove it." Tony nodded dazedly and went back to watching Gibbs sleep – not only did _he _seem peaceful, but it helped Tony calm down too. Kate started digging.

* * *

_Meanwhile_

Ducky was horrified by Kate's news and, so that he did not forget, he scribbled down all that Kate had said. Then, after letting out a long sigh, he picked up the phone, dialling the operator then getting put through to the emergency services dispatch centre and began relaying all that Kate had told him _after_ laboriously proving he _was_ a medical examiner and _did_ work for NCIS.

"..._I'll try and pass the information on, Dr. Mallard, but if the teams that are responding are already there then there's a chance they won't get the message_." As if speaking face-to-face with the woman on the other end, Ducky nodded impatiently. "Yes, yes, I understand, but if you could just make sure they get it I would be most grateful." Ducky was not the only one getting frustrated – Ducky had been badgering Darleen, the woman on the other end of the phone, for close to fifteen minutes now, and, although she was sure he was a nice man, his unrelenting demand was getting on her nerves. "_Dr. Mallard..." _Ducky could hear her weary and irritated sigh on the other end and imagined she was pinching the bridge of her nose. _"...I will _try _to get through to the teams. I will _try _to pass on this important information. I will _try _to inform the teams that there are still people in the building...But, as I have already explained several times now, I may not get through...And now, Dr. Mallard, if you wish me to contact our teams I suggest you gather all pertinent health information for your agents and wait for your colleague to update you on which hospital they're going to_." Ducky was not given the opportunity to protest as he heard a click and Darleen hung up. He mashed the speaker button, cutting the connection. Ducky, usually a very placid man, was seething at the woman's handling of the phone conversation, but now was not the time to get angry at other people - it certainly was not Darleen's fault that Gibbs and his team had been caught in an explosion nor that two of the dedicated team were now sporting various injuries, some of them serious.

_I do believe Jethro's ability to annoy people is rubbing off on me..._

Stepping away from his desk, the medical examiner grabbed his hat and coat from the stand, turned off all the lights in the autopsy room and then made his way into the elevator, pressing the button for Abby's lab. He glanced at his wristwatch.

_It's not that late – Abigail will still be in... How ever shall I tell her?_

The elevator pinged and the doors rolled open, spilling bright light onto the solitary waiting figure.

_Well, Donald, you've delivered this sort of news before._

He stepped into the empty elevator, turned and pressed the button.

_I have, but she was not employed by NCIS at that time..._

The doors rolled shut, encasing Ducky in almost perfect, smothering silence. The hush sent a cold shiver racing down his spine.

_...Oh dear._

* * *

**A/N: Tony's little mini breakdown at the start is probably the result of watching the season 6 episode _Bounce_ WAY too many times in a very short period of time. But, seeing how Gibbs managed to get him back on track in that episode, I figured he would probably do the same here.**

**And now Ducky's getting involved so they're chances of escaping alive have increased dramatically, but how _will _he tell Abby? You'll find out soon enough... I promise!**

**Please review!  
**


	7. Salvation

**A/N: So you've all been wondering where the EMTs are and now you're about to find out! **

**Thanks very much to all the reviewers for this chapter - hudson911, louise, silvanelf, twomoms, diana teo, Gloworm41, inkpen1 and BAMACRUSH - for all their cheering comments.  
**

* * *

Striding into the forensic science laboratory, Ducky's ears were assaulted by a barrage of raucous sound. He slammed his hands over his offended ears and searched for the source of the 'music'. "Abby!" He yelled over the noise before prodding the stop button on her CD player with one hand, the other still defending his ears. As the noise stopped abruptly, he lowered his arms and glanced around the lab for the young goth. He walked into the ballistics lab and found Abby sitting on the floor, her knees bent to her chest, a book in her hands. As he cast a shadow over the white pages, Abby shot to her feet. "Hey, Duckman! You just going home?" She asked, motioning to the coat draped over Ducky's right arm and the hat in his hand. Imperceptibly shifting from one foot to the other, Ducky hesitated, giving Abby the chance to process the elderly man's grim expression.

"Oh no! ...Who? It's Kate, isn't it?" Ducky shook his head silently. "Tony, please tell me it's not Tony. I've only just got him house-trained, and it's taken two years just to do that. I can't go through that with another agent!" This time the movement was a cross between a nod and a shake. Abby's eyes widened. "No. I don't believe you! Gibbs and Tony were _both_ fine when they left to go to that bomb place. They can't be de—" Ducky held up both his hands, stopping Abby mid-flow. The book she had been reading had been instantly forgotten and dropped to the floor, crinkling pages underneath it. Bending down to scoop the book from the floor, Ducky watched as Abby paced back and forth across the lab, her hands folded into loose fists and knocking her knuckles together forlornly. "They're not dead, Abigail." He assured her, placing a hand on her shoulder to stop her nervous pacing. "There was an explosion at the B.F.F. building. They were caught in the blast." A small sob escaped Abby's lips and tears were beginning to form in her eyes.

"Which hospital?" Again Ducky hesitated.

"They're not in hospital, my dear, not yet, as far as I know." Dusky answered, wrapping the young woman in a hug. "The last I heard, they were still in the building..." Abby was about to interrupt, but Ducky continued, not letting her speak. "...Kate has some minor burns; Tony has badly injured his shoulder..." Another sob escaped Abby. "...Jethro is the most seriously injured – according to Kaitlin, he was impaled by a piece of flying debris and has some rib damage... But none of them are dead, Abigail." The fact that they were not dead was of little reassurance to Abby, and she could not help the hot tears that flowed down her cheeks.

Suddenly, as she went over all the possible outcomes of this disaster in her head, Abby realised what Ducky had implied. "So Kate called you? ...From inside?" The forensic scientist, her face pale, blurted out over the medical examiner's shoulder. She felt his nod and immediately words tumbled from Abby's mouth. "Did you call EMT dispatch? We need to tell them everything Kate told you. Even if she called them too, we still need to make sure they know where to go and who's injured so they can..." Ducky patted the back of Abby's head, gently interrupting her.

"Abby, I've done all of that."

"Are you sure they understood how important it is? I mean, this is Gibbs! He's rarely _ever_ let someone else make that kind of a call to one of us: he must be really bad. And Tony..." Ducky stepped back out of the friendly embrace and looked Abby directly in the eye. "It will be alright, my dear."

Ducky could see the tears streaking down her face, running together with her dark make-up. She looked like the unhappiest person Ducky had ever seen: even her usually jolly pigtails had lost their bounce. From his pocket, Ducky pulled an unused handkerchief and handed it to Abby, who dabbed at her eyes and cheeks with it, the monogram in one corner catching her tear-filled eyes. "I'm going to have to buy you a new one of these, Ducky. My make-up's ruined this one." She told her close friend, when her sobs had subsided only to be replaced by hiccups.

"You need not worry yourself over that, Abby... Consider it an indefinite loan." Ducky smiled as warmly as he could manage, making Abby laugh at his strange expression – it hardly resembled a smile. "Where are we going to wait for 'the call'?" Abby asked between hiccups, already gathering her own coat – a long, black one that would reach the floor but for the fact that she was wearing her biggest platform black boots. Plucking a set of keys from his coat pocket, Ducky suggested the only place they could wait in private and in silence. "Morgan?" Abby nodded, linking arms with the old gentleman and gathering Bert in her arms as they walked from the room. Ducky could not help but chuckle softly, knowing exactly who the lucky recipient of the soft toy was going to be. "I'm sure Gibbs will enjoy waking up to the sight of a short, squat hippo with a flatulence problem."

Abby stopped suddenly at Ducky's remark, pulling her companion to a halt as well just in front of the elevator doors. "You must tell me where you learned to be so charming, Dr. Mallard." She joked, putting on her best posh accent, trying to keep her mind off her injured co-workers. "On a first date, Miss Scuito? One does not reveal one's schooling in the art of charm on the first date!" One look at Abby's smiling face was all it took to bring forth a story of Ducky's school days. "It really is a most fascinating tale, Abigail. It all began in my first year at Edinburgh Medical School...Or was it the second?" Ducky began then pointed one finger at the white ceiling tiles above them. "...No matter, now where was I? Ah yes, charisma." The elevator doors slid open and they stepped inside. "...In my early years studying medicine in the fine town of Edinburgh I visited the famous castle on Castle Rock. It was a most fabulous day, extraordinarily hot for Scotland, even in summer, and I wished to buy an ice cream..." The pair walked out of the elevator and through the lobby, ignoring several stares that were directed at them. "...However I had forgotten my wallet and was forced to charm one out of the beautiful young lady whose father owned the restaurant. I also had to run several miles right away but of course I used to be quite the runner in those days..." At this, Abby hid her smile behind the collar of her coat, pretending to pull it up against the cold as they strolled through the dark car park. Then she let Ducky's rambling wash over her, not really focusing on anything, and was surprised when she suddenly found herself standing in front of the medical examiner's silver Morgan. She had almost forgotten where they were going and for what purpose.

Almost.

Not quite.

* * *

Kate was extremely relieved when she finally revealed Gibbs' lower legs – her hands and forearms bore more scratches and small cuts, and her arms and back ached from the continual effort. "Hand me your knife, Tony." Wordlessly, Tony did as Kate asked him to and then watched as she carefully cut away the material from just above Gibbs' knees, leaving him wearing a pair of ragged shorts. The layer of dust that coated the ground was not enough to disguise yet another blood pool, fortunately very much smaller and not getting any bigger. She searched for the source, fearing another deep wound, but found only a small cut on the outside of his left leg. Glancing over her shoulder, Kate checked that Gibbs was still unconscious before smoothly running one hand down the length of each leg, wiping the blood that smeared her hands on the cut away material when she had finished. "Anything broken?" Kate jumped: Tony's question had been so quiet that for a moment she thought it was Gibbs. "I think there might be, but I can't be sure – there's a lot of swelling." She replied shakily. Looking at Gibbs' face, she noticed his eyes slowly tracking her small movements, as though he were a baby. "Did I wake him, Tony?" Agent DiNozzo shook his head and was about to complete his answer when there was a hoarse rasp from behind him.

"No, Kate... I wasn't asleep."

Tony stared at his boss incredulously. "You sure as hell loo—" A sudden shaft of light piercing through the dusty air stopped him in his tracks. There were shadows dancing across the rubble and Tony could hear shouts. He glanced at Kate to confirm he was not dreaming and, when she nodded, he smiled broadly. Gibbs could not help but grin too – he would finally be able to stop acting like he was not in pain. "Kate! Go find the EMTs: tell 'em where we are...better yet, show 'em." Gibbs' voice was renewed to almost normal intensity, and Tony found himself being thrust back into his role as senior field agent: no longer in charge of anything. "DiNozzo, if I'd had the strength I'd've whacked you... Stop sulking and help me up." If it were not for the fact that Gibbs looked deadly serious, Tony would have laughed. "Boss, that's not a good idea, and no way am I helping you up – not with this shoulder." He argued, nodding his head at his own injured shoulder.

_Not with _that _shoulder!_

Scowling, Gibbs realised the younger agent was right, not that he would ever tell him, and decided to get up himself. As soon as he lifted his head off the ground – something that took considerably more effort than it should have done – Gibbs regretted this decision. "Argh..." He grunted, laying his head back on the ground, crippled by sharp pain coursing from his ribs, through his shoulder and into his skull. Tony sat back, still maintaining the pressure on the man's shoulder but letting Gibbs find his own limit, and kept silent – speaking would not make Gibbs any more likely to pay attention.

As Gibbs fought to regain control of his ragged breathing, Kate returned, followed by a seven-strong group of emergency services personnel: four medics and three firemen. The medics were carrying yellow stretchers and large red cloth bags; the firemen lugged thick metal jacks and long-handled axes with them. Immediately, the four medics split into teams of two and worked urgently on Gibbs and DiNozzo, despite weak protests from both men.

* * *

Kate, meanwhile, was lead outside by one fireman – the others working on propping up the ceiling and preventing another collapse – where he said condescendingly, "Stay put or put your friends at risk in there, honey." She almost exploded with fury at being called 'honey' but managed to school her expression into a blank gape. Her eyes could have burned holes through the man's fire-proof jacket as he walked back into the damaged building.

_The last guy that called me honey couldn't play football for a month... and that was my brother!  
_

When the man had disappeared into the building again, Kate studied her surroundings. She was surprised that it was dark already but could still see that most of the windows on the ground floor, and some on the first floor, had exploded outwards, showering the ground with glass. The debris that had not been contained by the outer walls of the building littered the tarmac, making it difficult for the paramedics that occasionally rushed to and from the damaged building to carry supplies quickly. Through the glass-less windows, Kate could only see the mounds of rubble that filled some rooms. She could not see where Tony and Gibbs were.

She turned round and observed the few people who were hanging around, each in small, separate groups. Muttering amongst themselves, several people, all of whom were uninjured, were milling around in one of these small groups about thirty metres from where Kate was standing. Some of them looked like employees she had glimpsed momentarily in the building – she could tell by the dusty suits and grimy faces that they had been in the building after the exposion, if not during; some of them she did not recognise, however. A row of empty ambulances waited for patients, and fire trucks were pumping water through hoses and into the building, presumably leading to several fire-fighters tackling a blaze. Other than that, there was nothing: nothing for her to do; nothing for her to investigate; no medics who were not already attending to injuries; no one who had not already been taken care of.

_Guess this would be a good time to phone Ducky._

She pulled out her cell, checking it still worked and had a signal, then dialled Ducky's cell.

* * *

  
**A/N: Now the EMTs are here, maybe I can stop hurting Gibbs and Tony... then again, maybe not...**

**I guess you'll all just have to wait and see... :P**

**Reviews are always welcome!  
**


	8. A Sight To Behold

**A/N: As usual a huge thank you goes out to all the loyal readers and especially those of you who reviewed - louise, silvanelf, hotchner, twomoms, inkpen1, scousemuz1k, laoisbabe, bookworm2dance and last but not least Gloworm41 - provider of many excellent ideas (far too many for me to use and still be able put my name on this!).  
**

**Anyhoo, here's the next chapter... hope you enjoy it!  
**

* * *

Tony swatted away another pair of probing hands and raised his uninjured arm above his head, the other already strapped to his chest by a sling. "Look, I'm fine! There's nothing wrong with my ribs!" He was still sitting close enough to Gibbs to see his grimaces as the paramedics pressed sterilised gauze around his wound, checked his breath sounds with ice-cold stethoscopes and insisted on strapping an oxygen mask over his face. "Agent DiNozzo, it is standard procedure to check for thoracic injury in patients who have sustained sudden blunt force trauma to the chest. I also need to bandage up your hand – you must have cut it when you were digging through the rubble." The sole paramedic attending to Tony explained, trying hard not to sound exasperated. Confused, Tony turned his free hand palm up and stared at it. There were tens of tiny shallow cuts and several larger deep ones criss-crossing his skin. He could see just as many splinters burrowing their way into his flesh, and minute concrete shards encrusted the bloody skin surrounding the cuts. "So we have something we both agree on, then!" The Italian announced, erupting into a bout of giggles. There was a commotion at Gibbs' side – something about him removing his oxygen mask – and then a curt grunt. "DiNozzo! Stop resisting... and let them do their job!" Even at Gibbs' glare, Tony grinned broadly.

_Oh yeah, those drugs have definitely gone to DiNozzo's head!_

"That's a bit of a double standard, isn—" Tony began, still grinning, only to be cut off by another terse grunt.

"DiNozzo..." There was a note of warning in Gibbs' hoarse voice which finally broke through Tony's drug-induced high.

"Unresisting, boss, got it!" Satisfied, Gibbs replaced the oxygen mask over his mouth and nose, letting the paramedics finish preparing him to be moved. One of them placed a stretcher at Gibbs' side then knelt on the left side of Gibbs' legs, checking that the other medics knew what they were in charge of when the time came to roll Gibbs.

Anxiously, Tony stood – his personal medic gripping his elbow tightly, even though Tony did not feel like he was about to pass out, and pressing another bandage to the back of Tony's head – watching as the other three medics rolled Gibbs onto his left side and the most senior one barked instructions at one fireman, who had stuck around in case there was sign of another collapse, to slowly push the stretcher under Gibbs' battered body. Tony could hear his boss' hisses, groans and unrepeatable curses as he was rolled over onto his back once more and strapped onto the cold, white board. Already, an intravenous line had been inserted in Gibbs' left arm – the bag of saline lying next to him on the stretcher – and his entire left leg had a fluorescent red soft cast wrapped round it. There were even handprints in the layer of dirt that now coated Gibbs' exposed chest where they had painfully checked his ribs.

Two medics moved to either end of the stiff board and, at the same time, hoisted Gibbs into the air while the third medic continued to press the reddening bandage into Gibbs' shoulder. As they began to move forwards, Tony made to walk alongside his colleague but was stopped by the fourth medic pulling at his elbow. "It gets a bit narrow further up – there's not enough room for all of us to go through at once..." Tony ignored the man, shrugged off the loose grip and strode forwards, easily catching up with the others. He had just managed to reach Gibbs' side when they reached the narrow section and he was forced to fall into line behind them. Their progress at this section was slowed significantly, not only because of the thinness of the passageway (it looked to Tony as if it was actually a leading you through a blown-out window and the fire department had propped up the roof of the 'tunnel' using several strong metal jacks) but also because Gibbs was beginning to struggle. Tony caught glimpses of his face glistening with sweat while his brows furrowed deeply, yet more lines of pain creasing his face.

_Those straps have got to be pressing into his ribs... Why don't they know that?  
_

The young NCIS agent was desperate to comfort the man he considered a friend and possibly even a father-figure, but the tight space restricted it, and all he could do was stumble along behind them and try not to fall flat on his face as the adrenaline that had been rushing through his system petered out.

Finally, they emerged from the narrow tunnel and Tony was surprised by the darkness that had consumed the streets. The lights on top of fire trucks and ambulances were still flashing, periodically splashing the area with colour.

_Ah, flashing light, how I've missed you... If only it wasn't in red..._

Ignoring the medic who had followed behind him closely as the man tried to lead him in a different direction to Gibbs, Tony paced forward until he reached Gibbs' side again. Immediately, Tony realised Gibbs was having trouble staying conscious – through exhaustion or pain, Tony did not know – as he was slid onto a wheeled trolley and his IV bag hung on a short pole that stuck up from the metal railing. A chill shivered down his spine and Tony instantly knew the source. "Hey, boss. How're you doing?" Gibbs skilfully ignored the question by glowering weakly at DiNozzo. Taking a few juddering deep breaths that obviously caused him significant pain and discomfort, Gibbs managed to gasp a sentence. "Kate... did good..." Eyes wide, Tony felt disappointed and, thinking Gibbs had finished, turned away. He barely heard the slurred whisper that followed him. "Anthony..._ You_ did good." Tony could only watch, yet another goofy smile plastered on his face, as the stubborn man's eyes glazed over and the medics heaved his gurney into the ambulance.

The medic, who kept pestering Tony and had stood a few paces back while the NCIS agents had conversed, was now at Tony's side again, gently pulling him away to another ambulance. "...Sir, you need to keep that on." Tony heard one of the paramedics working patiently on Gibbs say, then assumed Gibbs had refused to replace the oxygen mask over his nose and mouth as he listened to the EMT threaten the obstinate marine.

_There's a DiNozzo rule for you: never, ever threaten Gibbs... And don't call him sir._

"...Sir, if you don't put that back and leave it there, I'll have to intubate you... Is that what you want?" As he was led over to the other waiting ambulance, Kate settling into one of the seats with a hand pressed firmly over a large square of sooty bandage on her forearm, Tony could easily imagine the glare Gibbs had fixed on that unfortunate paramedic and the murderous thoughts that would be going through his weary brain at that moment. The senior field agent could not help but chuckle, earning him an odd glance from the paramedic at his elbow.

Straining against the arms that were leading him away, Tony slowed down to hear the result of the minor conflict. "Agent Gibbs, I'm not going to tell you again." Tony could not help but laugh softly at his boss' childish display of obstinacy – doubtless he would be insisting he was 'fine'.

_At least I'm not the only one he does it to._

"Come on, Tony. I'm freezing in here. Hurry up so we can get to the hospital!" Kate called from underneath two grey woollen blankets in the back of the ambulance. As he reluctantly stepped in to the vehicle, Tony heard a frustrated 'Thank you.' from Gibbs' ambulance. He had given in.

_Finally._

Tony smiled goofily to himself, momentarily forgetting the company he was in. "What are you smiling at Tony? Gibbs is seriously injured, and you've gone and done something incredibly stupid to your shoulder and you're _smiling_!" Kate yelled.

_Hearing's not quite back then, Kate._

"I was just... never mind, Kate." Tony replied, clambering into the back of the ambulance and lying down on the trolley.

"Hey! I was going to sit there! Tony!" Kate protested, standing up, the blankets still wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"Too bad..." The medic who had led Tony over slammed the rear doors shut and shook his head. Unfortunately, he could still hear the bickering pair through the vehicle's metal sides.

"That's not fair, DiNozzo! I got the overnight bags from the car!" Kate reasoned. In response, Tony blew a long, spitting raspberry at her and then pretended to be asleep. Kate huffed in annoyance then, realising she was not going to win, settled back into her seat and pulled the blankets around her tightly.

_Why do I always get stuck with the squabbling ones?_

* * *

Ducky and Abby rushed into the emergency department of Bethesda Naval Hospital, Abby immediately addressing the nearest nurse – a tall, blonde-haired woman who looked more than a little busy and definitely flustered to be spoken to by a young woman with black pigtails and dressed in matching black clothing. "We need to see NCIS Agents Gibbs, DiNozzo and Todd. Where are they? Kate told me she'd be waiting in reception for us, but I don't see her. Oh God, what if something happened to Gibbs or Tony after they'd arrived? What if Kate was more seriously injured than she told you, Ducky?" The nurse, who was kind enough not to brush them off and tell them to wait in the waiting room with all the other anxious relatives, was left speechless by Abby's fast-paced outburst – barely able to comprehend any of what Abby had rushed to say. Ducky, placing a reassuring hand on the forensic scientist's shoulder – indicating that she should calm down and think logically, as Gibbs had trained everyone around him to do – spoke relatively slowly to the blonde nurse, who looked no more than twenty-five years old and was very pretty.

_Tony's type..._

"I'm Dr. Mallard and this is Abigail Scuito. We both work for NCIS. I believe you are treating three of our colleagues for injuries sustained in an explosion..." He trailed off, hoping the nurse would recall what he was speaking about. "Oh yes. I'm afraid only relatives are permitted to enter the emergency rooms, but you can wait in the family room if you wish." She supplied, smiling understandingly and pointing towards a door about fifteen metres down the corridor. Ducky nodded wearily. He had known they would not let them see the agents but he had hoped they might make an exception. Obviously not. "I'll try and find out what I can and ask the doctors to come and speak to you as soon as they can." Again, Ducky nodded, this time in thanks, then pulled Abby away, practically dragging her to the small room where he removed his coat – having taken his hat off before they entered the building – and folded it before placing it on the armrest of a settee. They both slumped onto the settee, Ducky with his arm round Abby's shoulders – hugging her to him – and Abby resting her head on his chest. He could feel Abby's silent tears soaking through his cotton shirt and dampening his skin but did not know how to comfort her until the doctors gave him more information. The medical examiner let her drift off to sleep, while he patiently watched the door.

* * *

**A/N: Well I managed to get them out of that builiding without anymore mishaps! Hope you liked this.**

**Reviews are welcomed - it brightens my day to open my email and see a nice big number in bold next to 'Inbox' :D  
**


	9. Scars of Tomorrow

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers for the last chapter as you've exceeded the number of reviews I got for the last stories I wrote, and I'm not even finished yet - diana teo, twomoms, silvanelf, bookworm2dance, inkpen1, Gloworm41, hudson911, CD57, SLE and hotchner. You guys rock! Thanks also to the readers who, although they might not have reviewed, their sustained interest in this story has kept it on track.  
**

**- SLE - Don't worry, you're not the only one who scares themselves with how evil they are! xD**

**Anyhoooo, here's the next chapter.  
**

* * *

_Previously_

They both slumped onto the settee, Ducky with his arm round Abby's shoulders – hugging her to him – and Abby resting her head on his chest. He could feel Abby's silent tears soaking through his cotton shirt and dampening his skin but did not know how to comfort her until the doctors gave him more information. The medical examiner let her drift off to sleep, while he patiently watched the door.

* * *

_Two Hours Later_

Kate peered through the tiny square window in the door and instantly felt like she was intruding on a very private moment. She watched as the young woman's head rose and fell with the elderly man's chest. It was at that moment that Kate realised that the team she had stumbled into was more than just a team: it was a family. Then, as the older man raised his head and smiled at her, Kate stood rooted to the spot, blushing as if she had been caught spying on the pair.

_Ok, so I was spying on them... But I was just about to go in anyway.  
_  
She gently pushed open the door, careful not to wake the sleeping goth, and stood just in front of one of the more comfortable plastic chairs that lined the room. Ducky cast his medical gaze over her, appraising her for injuries. Kate stayed silent as she waited for Ducky to finish – it was a bit embarrassing but she knew Ducky was only doing exactly what Gibbs would do.

_I wonder who taught that to who..._

"Are you alright, Kaitlin?" Ducky asked softly, his eyes resting momentarily on her bandaged forearm before flicking to her face. A short line of stitches ran along her forehead just above her right eye, and there were many more cuts that had not required stitching but still glowed angry red against the pale skin of her arms. "I'm fine, Ducky." She slumped down into the chair, making it grate backwards noisily and waking Abby. "Has that nurse come ba—" Abby stopped in the middle of her tired question and stared at Kate.

"Hey, Abby. Sorry to wake you." Kate smiled, standing up again and nervously awaiting the flood of words that would tumble from the young goth's mouth at any moment. It did not come. Instead Abby leapt to her feet and threw her arms around Kate, squeezing her tightly. Now, with Abby's arms thrown round Kate's neck, the jumble of words shot forth like bullets from a machine gun. "Kate, I'm so glad you're ok! I was _so_ worried... How's Tony? How's Gibbs? Are they ok? Are..." Kate brought up her hands defensively, trying to stem Abby's anxious chatter, and managed to weaken Abby's vice-like grip enough to take several deep breaths. "I don't know, Abby. Gibbs was taken into a trauma room as soon as we arrived, and Tony was whisked away for an x-ray..." Abby opened her mouth to interrupt, but Kate continued. "...I only needed a few stitches and some treatment for some minor burns. But, by the time they'd finished bandaging my arm, I was starving so I went to the shop to get supplies for all of us." Kate rustled the small, white polythene bag she was carrying in one hand. "That's why I didn't meet you at reception when you came in, but Nurse Mendenhal told me you were waiting in here." Ducky remained quiet: he already knew most of the injuries sustained by the agents from Kate's rundown over the phone. However, he had decided that, until anything was definite, he would not tell Abby – she would only speculate and get herself worked up, possibly over nothing. "An x-ray for what, Kate? ...Wait! No, don't tell me..." Ducky squeezed Abby's shoulder, trying to make the young woman, who was rubbing the sleep from her eyes, calm down.

"Abigail, let Kate sit down: she's exhausted." Nodding in thanks, Kate sat down on the couch, leaning her head back and resting it on the back of the plastic couch. "What is the x-ray for, Kaitlin?" Ducky asked, keeping his hand on Abby's shoulder. The inexperienced NCIS agent glanced from Abby to Ducky then back again, suddenly hit by the realisation that Abby was missing something.

_Ducky didn't tell her._

"Erm... Tony thought he'd broken his collar bone and dislocated his shoulder... To be honest, Abby, it looked like he had, but—" Fortunately, Kate was saved from speculating about Tony's condition any further by a knock at the door. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief at the interruption and closed her eyes, preferring to listen to the conversation when her head was not pounding with every heartbeat.

A tall, clean-shaven young doctor, with a captain's insignia on the collar of his beige shirt, entered the room and surveyed the group inside. Noting the way the room's occupants looked as if they had not slept in twenty-four hours, he smiled in sympathy then asked, "Are you the NCIS agents' colleagues?" All three nodded, but Ducky was the only one to step forward and shake the man's hand. Kate stayed seated on the couch but her eyes were wide open now, her earlier tiredness forgotten. "I'm Dr. Mallard, the medical examiner at NCIS. I'm also the agents' personal physician." The young man shook Ducky's proffered hand and supplied his own name. "Dr. Julian Mackenzie. I'm treating Agent DiNozzo at the moment, but I have Agent Gibbs' file here too, and his doctor gave me a short briefing before I came to you." He was true to his word: Kate counted two manila folders at the man's side. There were some small spots of blood splashed worryingly over one cover, but Kate could not read the name on it. Finally, she managed to work up the energy to drag herself out of the chair and offered, like Ducky had moments earlier, to shake his hand. "Special Agent Kate Todd." She said, noticing the way the man's eyebrows rose before he quickly schooled his expression back to normal.

_Note to self: ask Tony what he told the doctor about me._

Abby stepped from behind Ducky and introduced herself too. She was going to offer to shake Dr. Mackenzie's hand but could not make her hands stop shaking and they had become annoyingly sweaty all of a sudden. Understanding the young woman's nerves, the doctor stepped to the side and motioned for Ducky to follow him outside, but Ducky shook his head. "There's no point you telling me only for me to have to repeat exactly what you say to my colleagues a few minutes later." Mackenzie noted that the strangely dressed young woman had attached herself to Dr. Mallard's sleeve then nodded in agreement and gestured for them to sit down. He himself perched awkwardly on the arm of a plastic chair, knowing well from experience just how uncomfortable the moulded chairs were.

"I'll start with Agent DiNozzo, as he's my patient." He looked up at the expectant faces as if anticipating protests but there were none. "Well, he arrived with a suspected fractured clavicle and dislocated shoulder and I had him sent off for an x-ray, which confirmed it. However, it appears that during the course of his time spent trapped in the building he crudely put it back into place himself, and, unfortunately, we've had to redo it." Mackenzie shook his head slightly then continued to list Tony's injuries and the actions taken to treat them. "Also, the fracture was rather more serious than anticipated, and Mr DiNozzo required surgery to have a metal plate fixed to the bone and hold it in place as it heals, but the upside is that it should heal more quickly." Kate nodded dumbly, not really absorbing anything of what the doctor was saying. She knew she should listen more carefully – these were her colleagues the man was talking about – but she was just too tired to focus on it all. She could see Abby and Ducky also listening intently, Abby's eyes glistening with concern and fresh tears beginning to form in her eyes.

_Hopefully Ducky'll be able to fill me in on what I miss..._

Trying to confirm her hope, Kate glanced sideways at Ducky and found him looking at her with a sympathetic expression. His slow nod was barely perceptible to Kate's weary eyes, but, catching it, Agent Todd knew Ducky would tell her everything if she wanted to sleep. She could hardly keep her eyes open as she strained to listen to the doctor and eventually fell into a light doze.

Just in time to catch the tail-end of what the doctor, who was smiling encouragingly, was saying, Kate drifted back to the one-sided conversation in the room "He's been out of surgery for about an hour now and is resting in his room..." Dr. Mackenzie looked pointedly at Abby and smiled cheerfully. "So, Ms Scuito, you may visit him. There were also some deep cuts on his back which is why he's on antibiotics – to prevent infection. I'd like to keep Agent DiNozzo in for a few days – just to make sure everything is in the right place and to keep an eye on his concussion and the lacerations on his back. It's only a minor concussion, but..."

"...But you're just being careful. I'm sure Anthony will understand, doctor." Ducky finished, anxious to be informed of his other friend's condition. Mackenzie did not seem to catch the diminutive medical examiner's nervous tone and remained quiet for a while, waiting for questions.

As the silence grew between the two doctors, Abby began to get nervous. She still had tears running freely down her face, smudging her already ruined make-up, and occasionally her breathing hitched. "W-what about... What about Agent Gibbs?" She asked quietly, rocking gently back and forth on her feet. Without speaking, Dr. Mackenzie's furrowed brow told the three of them all they needed to know: it was bad. Dr. Mackenzie flipped open one of the manila folders and read a few paragraphs of scrawled text. "Agent Gibbs is in surgery at the moment having the wooden object removed from his shoulder..." He chanced another glance at the notes strewn across his lap, wary of the worried goth sitting a few feet from him, looking as if she would seriously injure, if not kill, anyone who suggested that Agent Gibbs might die. "Erm... Portable x-rays showed several rib fractures and a broken tibia. Fortunately, the wooden object that lodged in his shoulder seems to have missed all the bones around that area, which is a minor miracle really, although it is pressing a rib against his lung, making it harder for him to breathe. But the most pressing concern his doctors have at the moment is the volume of blood he's lost. From these doctor's notes I believe they are going to give him a transfusion." At the suggestion of a blood transfusion, Kate sucked in a sharp breath. "Just as well we didn't manage to get that 'wooden object' out then..." She muttered to no one in particular, but the doctor heard it.

"Yes, I suppose it is..." Abby looked as if she was about to erupt into another energetic volley of questions and fire them at Kate, but Ducky jumped in to prevent it.

"Is there anything else, doctor, or may we visit Agent DiNozzo now?"

"Ah... No, I don't have anything else to tell you about Agent Gibbs' condition, I'm afraid." To reinforce this statement, the young doctor shook his head firmly and then gathered all the pages of writing that had somehow escaped Gibbs' file and pushed himself to his feet. "Agent DiNozzo was awake when I left him and I don't see the harm in letting you see him – it might even give the nursing staff a chance to recover from his painkiller-induced antics. He'll still be groggy but he'll know you're there at least and should be up to talking after a while."

Ducky, taking it unto himself to be the leader of the remaining conscious member of the team and the highly-strung, emotionally intense forensic scientist, stood and shook the man's hand for the second time in an hour. "Thank you, Dr. Mackenzie." Abby and Kate then followed suit, standing wearily to one side as Dr. Mackenzie opened the door and stepped out, allowing the others to follow him as he walked slowly down the corridor.

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**A/N: Okay, so there's not much action in this and there's no Gibbs _or _Tony, but I wanted you all to know what was going on with our favourite characters!**

**Unfortunately, I'm going to be away with The Parents for the next two days and I won't have any internet access! :( Which means you will all have to be _extra_ patient and wait until Thursday for the next installment... Sorry, but think how I feel - my exam results arrive on Wednesday when I'm away!! Damn you, parents!**

**So, until then, keep filling my inbox with lots and lots of nice review alerts pleeeease :)  
**


	10. The Night

**A/N: YAY results day has been and gone - only one more year of school and then I do it ALL OVER AGAIN! Thanks for all the well-wishes for my results!  
**

**Anyhoo. As usual thanks to all the reviewers - twomoms, louise, silvanelf, scousemuz1k, XX-Samantha-XX, inkpen1, Aussielover, SLE, bookworm2dance and BAMACRUSH - and to catsmeou for their pm/review. You guys really are the best! :D**

**Anyhooooo... I guess I've kept you waiting long enough so here it is - the next chapter!! *enter dramatic music here* ... or not...  
**

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Kate shuffled along slowly next to Abby, one hand resting lightly around the scientist's shoulder as much as for moral support as because she was shattered and could barely keep her eyes open as they walked. Ducky, meanwhile, had picked up the pace in order to catch up with the doctor and was listening intently to his more detailed breakdown of Tony's injuries. They stopped outside a dimly lit room with space for two beds, but there was only one occupying the room at the moment. Dr. Mackenzie slid open the clear glass door quietly, a skill he had acquired from years of practicing opening and closing the doors without alerting the patient, and peered in on the young sleeping man lying in the only bed before turning back to Ducky. Abby and Kate stood behind him, nervously waiting to be allowed in.

"He's asleep now but he's been annoying my nurses already so only two visitors allowed at a time: I don't want him getting over-excited and pulling out _any_ of his stitches. The more analgesics I have to give him, the crazier he gets!" Ducky nodded, smiling at the memory of the last time Tony came back to NCIS high on painkillers, then he turned to face the waiting duo, waving them forwards and into the room. "Go on, then. Tony won't be this quiet for a long time after this, I suspect." Kate managed a brief smile as she passed Ducky in the doorway – if she was honest, she would not mind sleeping for a while, but she was, at present, the highest-ranked fit-for-work member of the team, and, as that, she had to look after the rest of them. Abby, however, hesitated. "Abigail, _I_ will wait for Jethro to get out of surgery." Ducky argued softly, knowing exactly why she was hesitant.

"But Ducky..." Abby whined, her eyes wide and pleading. However, her puppy-dog eyes had no effect on the man she had worked closely with for several years.

"Tony won't want to wake up alone and Kate is not particularly awake herself. You can keep an eye on both of them." Grudgingly accepting Ducky's wisdom, Abby huffed out a short breath.

"Do you want me to give Bert to Gibbs?" Ducky asked, reaching for the plastic bag she was holding, but Abby pulled it out of his reach.

"No. I want to give him to Gibbs." Abby sounded cross, and Ducky raised his hands in defeat, guessing why she wanted to give it to Gibbs personally.

As she passed Ducky, she stopped in front of the young doctor who had been entrusted to care for Tony. She had noticed Kate's weariness as they were trudging along what seemed like an endless corridor – the agent's eyes gradually working themselves shut – and, as Kate settled herself into a chair and watched Tony's calm features as he slept, the young forensic scientist leaned closer and went up onto her tip-toes. The young doctor who was standing next to Ducky, ready to discuss the next phase of Tony's treatment in yet more detail, looked confused but did not back away. Keeping her voice soft and quiet, Abby whispered to the man, "Can you get Kate a blanket, Dr. Mackenzie? She's exhausted." Smiling warmly at the goth, who, despite her black clothing and make-up, did not seem to have problems with depression, he nodded. "I'll ask a nurse to bring in one for both of you."

"Thanks." She stayed for a moment longer until Ducky shooed her away, waving her into the room where he could see Kate already slumped forward in her chair – asleep.

After carefully dragging one of the heavy chairs away from the window and placing it on the left of Tony's bed, Abby slouched into it, unzipping her boots and kicking them off, and watched Tony's eyelids dancing as he slept. She brought her knees up to her chest and turned so that she was sitting sideways on the chair, resting her head against the upright back of it.

Strangely, she found herself studying Tony's calm features intensely. It was odd to see the man, who was usually brimming so full of energy and excitement that he needed several headslaps to keep him on track, asleep and quiet – so much so that it took all Abby's strength not to reach out and wake him because the silence was unnerving. As the silence pressed around her, Abby felt like she needed to shake him, to cry out, to scream as loudly as she could: anything to wake the unnaturally still man in front of her. But she fought that urge, instead settling on watching him closely.

Her head drooped and she found her eyelids closing even though she kept trying to stop them – it was as if there were weights attached. She had not even remembered that she was still carrying Bert the Hippo around – he was safely concealed in a polythene bag – until her hand went limp, and the bag fell to the ground, making a loud thump and rustling noisily. She started awake and checked Kate was still asleep then turned to Tony and nearly jumped out of her skin – his eyes were open and he was watching her with amusement.

"Tony! Oh my god, I was _so_ worried about you!" Standing up and leaning over the bed, she pulled him into a tight embrace, making him grimace as she pressed against his shoulder.

"Nnh... Abbs, the shoulder." Instantly, Abby leant back, this time looking nervous and very apologetic.

"Oh gosh, Tony. I'm sorry, I was just so worried: I mean, I don't know what I'd've done if I had to break in a new agent. Sure, you took less time than Gibbs... he's _still_ learning actually... but now I've kind of gotten used to your over-exuberance and that only took two years." Tony half grinned and half raised an eyebrow.

"Thanks... I think." He reached for the remote that controlled the angle of his bed then raised the head of it, relieving some of the pain that was seeping through the barrier the painkillers had put in place. They might make him loopy but they had less of an effect on the pain after about an hour.

He glanced over at Kate, snoring softly in the chair on his right. Even in the dim light, Tony could see the small cuts on her face and the white bandage wrapped tightly around her forearm. "Is she..." Abby grinned, knowing exactly what the experienced investigator was going to ask.

"She's fine, Tony. Scrapes and bruises mostly... and exhaustion." Tony nodded, Abby's smile assuring him that that was the truth.

"What about Gibbs?" It was like flicking a switch – Abby's smiled instantly disappeared and a frown appeared in its place.

"The doctor said he was in s-surgery and would need a b-blood transfusion..." Her voice was shaking and the light filtering through the venetian blind hanging behind the observation window cast an eerie glow over Abby's face, and Tony could see fresh tear tracks streaking her cheeks. He reached out with his left arm. "C'mere, Abbs." She stood up, thinking he would only hug her, and was surprised when he sluggishly shuffled over on his bed and motioned for her to lie on it with him, side by side. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and watched as she tentatively laid her head on his chest. He grinned goofily – an expression that seemed to be taking up long-term residence on Tony's face. "Will Bert be joining us, Abby?" Raising her fist threateningly, Abby laughed and then closed her eyes, falling instantly asleep. Moments later, Tony followed her into the realm of oblivion.

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**A/N: Yeah, yeah! It's a short one. Sorry. I've also not been able to concentrate on writing much recently - I have many excuses but I won't bother with them. I have a feeling that updates are going to start getting slower (not much slower: like once every other day) after this one so that I can get it finished before I go back to school AND do all my 'back to school' preparation. *sigh***


	11. Only The Strong Survive

**A/N: Well, having received more than I needed, in terms of grades, to get into medicine at uni _and _my mum buying me a box of Lindor chocolates (which I'm rationing to one every 500 words written) _and _having recovered from a minor case of almost writer's block (withdrawal from lack of new NCIS episodes kicking in probably), it all bodes extremely well for you, the reader!  
**

**Thanks to all the reviewers who just keep coming back for more and telling me what they think at the same time :D - Gloworm41, silvanelf, inkpen1, Aussielover, XX-Samantha-XX, bookworm2dance and SLE.  
**

**So you've all been itching to find out what happened to Gibbs once he arrived at the hospital and I've finally decided to stop letting you hang there...**

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"Dr. Mackenzie..." The young doctor looked up at the female lieutenant standing in front of him and Dr. Mallard. They had been sitting down the hall from Tony's peaceful room and discussing his shoulder injury exhaustively. Ducky looked at his watch and sighed. Almost three hours had passed since they had been allowed to see Tony, meaning Gibbs had been in surgery for almost six. He ran a weathered hand through his hair and sat back to look up at the woman who had interrupted, watching her tiredly. "Yes?"

"Dr. Koertig asked me to tell you that Agent Gibbs came out of surgery about half an hour ago." Ducky was instantly alert and shot to his feet, ready to fire questions at the unsuspecting nurse. Dr. Mackenzie, however, was quicker to formulate a reply. "Thank you. Could you take Dr. Mallard, here, to Agent Gibbs' room? He works with him." The lieutenant nodded and stepped back, gesturing smoothly for the elderly medical examiner to walk beside her.

As they passed Tony's room, Ducky peered through the blind, squinting to just make out objects in the darkness. Glimpsing Abby squashed onto the bed next to Tony, he smiled – the team would survive this storm, of that he was sure. They were both asleep, and Ducky could just see Kate's head leaning forward in the chair. He stood there for a moment and observed the scene before him, imprinting it into his memory.

_Let's just hope the next time we're all together there isn't as much to worry about._

He felt a hand gently touch his shoulder and broke from his thoughts. "Dr. Mallard... Sir?"

"Ah, yes. I do apologise, lieutenant. Let us see what Jethro has got himself into this time." Simply nodding, the nurse continued to lead Ducky to the post-op ward.

Reaching another clear glass door, the young lieutenant opened the door and permitted Ducky to step through first. The hive of activity round the bed obscured Ducky's vision of the patient's face, but as he moved closer to the bed most of the staff stepped away having finished what they needed to do and left the room. The lieutenant stepped up to only man left in the room and whispered in his ear, making him wheel round as soon as she had finished speaking. He looked a few years older than Dr. Mackenzie and had a similar hair cut to Gibbs – short and neat. "Dr. Mallard?"

"That's correct. Are you Dr. Koertig?"

"One and the same..." Ducky took a few steps forwards, halting at the foot of the bed. Now that there was no one in the way, the medical examiner could see the extent of Agent Gibbs' injuries: there was a raised lump in the thin white blanket covering the unconscious man's legs, confirming that his leg was broken; the blanket did not extend above his navel, however, and there was no gown over him, exposing Gibbs' bruised and battered chest, several knobs of bone pushing the skin up unnaturally indicating broken ribs, whilst still allowing the doctors quick and easy access to his wound. The medical staff had washed away the dust that had coated most of the marine's body, but this served only to intensify the livid bruises against his pale skin. The blood was also gone, wiped from his face and chest, and, if it were not for the large five-inch square of bandage taped over his shoulder and the neat row of stitches that ran down his cheek, Gibbs might have looked to be in almost perfect health to the untrained eye. Ducky, however, as a long-time friend of Leroy Jethro Gibbs, knew better.

"How is he, doctor?" Ducky asked without glancing away from his friend's still face.

"Well, Dr. Mallard—"

"Please, call me Ducky. Everyone else does!" The NCIS M.E. insisted, still not looking away from the man in the bed before him.

"Ok... Ducky, Agent Gibbs is still in a serious condition – he lost a lot of blood and sustained a penetrating wound to his right shoulder, which required surgery to remove the object. He has two fractured ribs and a transverse fracture to his left tibia..." Dr. Koertig paused to observe Gibbs' vitals and was about to speak again, when Ducky interrupted firmly.

"Yes, yes... Dr. Mackenzie told me all that, but I want to know how he is _now_." Koertig nodded sagely.

"Of course, Dr. Mall— Ducky. The surgery went well and he was given four units of blood during that to combat blood loss. Our first priority was addressing his shoulder, but we also put his leg in a cast during the surgery... He had quite the team working on him for those five hours!" The doctor chuckled, trying to lighten the mood somewhat. Fortunately for him, Ducky appreciated his humour and laughed along with him. "Yes, that is quite like Jethro – always demanding, and usually getting, the best from people." Believing Gibbs to be unconscious and that he would remain that way for some time, Ducky took up a seat at his bedside. "How long will it be until he wakes?" He asked, settling deeply into the chair. It was late at night, but Ducky did not want to leave the marine, his friend, lying in a hospital bed surrounded by unfamiliar faces and familiar sounds to wake up on his own.

_Not that Jethro would admit to wanting _anyone _to be around..._

"It's hard to say... The anaesthetics should completely wear off in a few hours, but I suspect that even when he does wake he'll go straight back to sleep. But he's one hell of a fighter from the size of his medical file - and that's just in the last few years." Koertig replied, loosely hugging Gibbs' notes to his chest as he leant against the doorframe. Again the elderly Scotsman nodded, gradually taking in the various signs of injury that covered the gunnery sergeant's body.

All of a sudden, after several minutes of awkward silence, Ducky remembered the doctor standing in the doorway. He shifted in his chair to face the medical practitioner. "Thank you, Dr. Koertig, for all your help." This time it was the American's turn to nod, then he turned quietly on his heel and left the two NCIS employees in the brightly illuminated room. Ducky watched him leave then sighed deeply, closing his eyes and resting his head back and trying to catch a short spell of sleep before his friend regained consciousness.

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**A/N: So there you go. Hope you're still enjoying this, and I know there's not much team stuff... or even much Gibbs... but it's what I came up with and it does join to the next chapter.**

**Reviews are welcome, appreciated, paid attention to and replied as far as possible.  
**


	12. Second Chance

**A/N: I planned on updating this yesterday but the login failed so I couldn't. ("_Oh stop bitching and let's go have tea!_")  
**

**Thanks to all the reviewers for the last chapter - bookworm2dance, Gloworm41, XX-Samantha-XX, inkpen1, louise, silvanelf, Krows Scared and hotchner. Unfortunately, the login might be fixed but I can't reply to your reviews :( Just know that I really appreciate them. Once they've fixed it I'll try to reply.  
**

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The first thing Gibbs noticed as he regained consciousness was that he was lying on something much softer than his boat's wooden deck. It was also much more comfortable than the floor he had been lying on a few hours before. Then the pain hit him and he could not help a weak moan escaping his parched, cracked lips and his breaths came faster and shallower. Without opening his eyes, he could feel somebody's concerned gaze on him, and this suspicion was confirmed by a calming touch to his hand and the anxious voice that accompanied it. "...Jethro?"

"...Duck?" Gibbs croaked: his throat in only marginally better condition than his parched lips. His eyes still remained shut – even the miniscule quantity of light that managed to pass through his eyelids and imprint a faint red glow on his retinas was giving his building headache more fuel. "Yes, Jethro... Do you know where you are?" Even with the muscles pulling at his cheek, Gibbs managed a wry smile. "Well, Duck... Judging by the sterile... smell, I'd say... hospital. How're DiNozzo... and Kate, Duck?" It was Ducky's turn to smile now, watching as Gibbs tried to read his face.

_Team first, Gibbs later._

"Kate's fine - a few bruises and scrapes. She's got a mild burn on her forearm but it won't take long to heal..." Ducky paused, studying his friend's face for a reaction, then described Tony's injuries and treatment, as Gibbs seemed to relax slightly, although his eyes remained screwed shut. Unbeknownst to Gibbs, Ducky leant forward in his chair and scrutinised his face and body language.

"How bad is the pain?" At this, Gibbs cracked one eye open, only to be forced to slam it shut as the white light speared his retina, sending a bolt of pain zipping through his brain. Through gritted teeth, he managed to gasp out an order to Ducky. "Turn down the damn lights!"

Jumping to his feet, Ducky obeyed instantly and then returned to his seat at Gibbs' side and found the injured marine's eyes open, if only partially. He looked half asleep.

_He probably is!_

Even as they locked eyes, Gibbs was trying to push himself up onto his elbows but succeeding only in sparking fresh pain in his shoulder and ribs. Suddenly, with a faint click, the lights were back at full intensity, leaving Gibbs nursing an even more painful headache. "Leroy Jethro Gibbs! If you know what is good for you, you will desist even contemplating sitting up." The booming voice startled both men and, as Gibbs crashed his head painfully back onto the pillow, they both turned to the small woman in the doorway. She was smaller than Ducky but she exuded authority. Her name tag read:

_Lisa Donaldson  
Head Nurse_

"Ah, Nurse Donaldson, I was just about to—" But, before Ducky had even the remotest chance to offer a proper explanation, she cut him off.

"Agent Gibbs, I don't care if you're head of the Secret Service and currently tasked with protecting the president, you _will_ remain in that bed until the doctor sees fit to release you. Is that understood?" Ignoring her furious rant, Gibbs looked away, pretending to look out the window and gradually letting his eyes adjust to the bright light that flooded the room. It was pitch black outside – not even a solitary streetlight.

"One of my team's Secret Service." He murmured, still avoiding her stern glare, but Ducky could not. He winced at the withering look she fired his way, daring him to speak. She walked over to the right side of Gibbs' bed and glared at him even though he tried to turn his head away. It was impossible for him to avoid her as she stood directly over him, her hands on her hips.

_Just like an ex-wife._

"Is that understood, Leroy?" Gulping, Gibbs reluctantly gave a faint nod, and she stalked from the room, sliding the door shut on her way out but leaving the lights on.

Silently, the two men exchanged glances then simultaneously broke into broad smiles. The twinge Gibbs felt in his cheek brought them both back to reality and also reminded Gibbs of the other niggling aches all over his body. "You've certainly been through the wars this time." Gibbs looked at his medical examiner friend blankly, too drained by the battle he had just lost against Nurse Donaldson even to feel emotion let alone understand another of Ducky's euphemisms. "...Which war was this one?" Ducky began to laugh, thinking Gibbs was joking, but the look on his face contradicted this: the gunnery sergeant looked confused and pain lines once again creased the skin around his eyes as he squinted against the glaringly bright light shining directly in to his eyes. "Never mind, Gibbs..." Observing silently as Gibbs grimaced in pain, Ducky joked, "Haven't my autopsies of sailors killed in explosions taught you anything, Jethro? They are generally not good for your health, or for anyone else's who happens to be around when something explodes."

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Gibbs tried valiantly to cock an eyebrow at his friend but could not manage without pulling at his stitches – something he would not normally mind but for the fact that the painkillers were barely taking the edge off his recent surgery never mind all the other injuries he was sporting. "That you are, Jethro. That you are..." Ducky watched with mild amusement as Gibbs fought to keep his eyes open. Taking pity on the younger man, Ducky gently squeezed Gibbs' left, uninjured arm and leant close to his ear. "Get some rest, Jethro, your team isn't going anywhere, and neither are you." When he sat back again, Gibbs' eyes were already shut and his breathing had slowed to a regular deep rhythm. "...Not if Nurse Donaldson has anything to do with it, you won't."

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Kate stood quietly at the doorway of Gibbs' room, listening as Ducky and Dr. Koertig spoke softly to each other, watching out the window as people came and went from the building. She was waiting patiently for the two doctors to finish and hopefully leave – she definitely wanted to be alone when she spoke to Gibbs. The woman had been procrastinating for as long as possible – which turned out to be about twelve hours since Gibbs had been brought out of surgery – and now found herself outside his room. The nursing staff had promised to move him into Tony's room – a prospect Gibbs did not cherish apparently, although Tony had been even more hyper ever since he had been informed by Abby. "...Thank you, Dr. Koertig, and if I have any more questions I won't hesitate to ask." Out of the corner of her eye, Kate watched Ducky stand and shake hands with the doctor then stood back from the door as he strode out. She waited for Ducky to leave as well but, after ten minutes of standing in the same place, she began to get impatient. Coming to a decision, she walked into the room, her face a mask of determination that concealed her inner anxiety.

Ducky turned at the sound of a visitor, took one look at Kate and hastily made his exit, claiming that he needed to save Gerald from his mother's clutches. "She's been with him for almost eighteen hours – I fear she may have revealed any number of my dearest secrets!" Gibbs waved him away weakly, his piercing blue eyes never leaving Kate – he knew exactly what she was about to say to him. As soon as Ducky had closed the door, Kate launched into her well-rehearsed speech. "I'm sorry, Gibbs. I made a mistake..."

"Well yeah, Kate, you made a big mistake – you bonded with that woman, let your relationship with her cloud your judgement..." Kate was growing angry, clenching her fists by her sides to stop herself from yelling.

_Why can't he just let me finish?_

"Look, if you want my badge, Gibbs, you've got it!"

"...But you _are _a good agent..." The stubborn marine continued, ignoring Kate's exasperated cry.

"...My letter of resignation will be on your desk by tomorrow—" Kate stopped, her eyes wide. "Wait... What?" Gibbs started to laugh then remembered his stitches and tried to stop himself, only for it to end up as a hacking cough – which pulled painfully at his stitches and his ribs anyway. He had to catch his breath before he could speak again, his eyes slammed shut - trying to stop the pain. "I said, Agent Todd, you're a good agent – a little rough around the edges maybe...but I'll soon fix that." Kate looked shell-shocked – she certainly had not expected Gibbs to accept her resignation, but, even more than that, she did not expect to be mildly praised. "Remember on Air Force One... when I told you you were a bastard?" A brief, wry smile played at Gibbs' mouth.

_Oh yeah, I remember._

"...Well, maybe you're not..." At Gibbs' sudden disappointed, possibly even hurt look, Kate added, "Ok, maybe you still are... Just... not as much of a bastard?" Gibbs grinned again then returned his face to its normal serious expression. "Make a mistake like that again, and I won't hesitate to fire your ass!" Without waiting for her to leave, he slowly rolled his head to face away from Kate, wincing as the movement pulled at the numerous stitches in his shoulder but resolutely ignoring the pain.

The ex-Secret Service agent stood motionless at the side of his bed, not quite believing she still had a job. She watched as Gibbs' breathing became deeper and more regular and could almost see the muscles in his jaw and neck relax as he slipped into a deep, much-needed sleep. Even his constant frown disappeared. Tony was right – Gibbs did look peaceful when he was asleep. Kate settled back into the chair at the bedside – the one Ducky had urgently vacated to avoid being caught in whatever storm Kate was going to set off with Gibbs – and studied him as he slept. She cast her eyes down the bed to the metal cage keeping the blanket off Gibbs' injured leg – a reminder of how close they had come to losing their boss. She tilted her head back, resting it there as she stared at the ceiling, letting out a long, quiet sigh. She could barely keep her eyes open, but when they did shut she forced them open again. The gaps between them shutting and opening gradually lengthened until she did not have the strength to open them again.

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**A/N: Yay. Gibbs is back! :D Hope you're all still enjoying this despite my erratic updating.**

**Keep 'em reviews coming - I want to know what you think about this! Please!  
**


	13. Hollow Threats and Sincere Promises

**A/N: Unfotunately, FanFiction** **still hates me and has decided that the reviews all you brilliant people have submitted do not 'exist' (even though they came up in my inbox) and therefore it is impossible to reply to them! :( But hey, they fixed the login _and_ update pages so I can't complain _that_ much...  
**

**I'll just say an extra HUGE thank you to all of you that reviewed the last few chapters and apologise for not replying to them. Thanks Gloworm41, BAMACRUSH, CD57, twomoms, louise, diana teo, XX-Samantha-XX, inkpen1, bookworm2dance, silvanelf, Krows Scared and hotchner.**

**As you can probably tell by the fact that my updates are being as regular as FanFic'll allow, the revision isn't going too well... ok so I haven't started it yet xD  
*slaps back of head* Stop rambling!**

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Something was tickling at her ear: it felt as if someone was blowing on her. She raised a hand to flick the annoying thing away, but whatever it was easily dodged it. "Kate..." With a start, she shot forwards, her eyes instantly open and adjusting to the dimly lit room, and scrabbled for her gun, which should be on her belt. When she could not find it, she wheeled around and looked sheepishly at her tormentor. "Tony!" She hissed then, noticing the blackened sky, she glanced at her luminous watch. "Shouldn't you be in your room?" The man, whose arm was cradled in a large blue sling, shrugged then cringed at the pain. "I snuck out while the nurses weren't watching. Anyway, Ducky's just going to take Abby home and he's offering to give you a lift, too."

"Tell him it's fine, Tony – I'll go home tomorrow." Kate answered, rubbing her eyes. Tony just cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled innocently.

_Painkillers, I love 'em!_

"Oh yeah? And how do plan to do that, _Katie_? Your car's in our _other_ parking garage." Kate blushed then realised she must be tired to have made that mistake. She folded her arms across her chest in annoyance.

_I hate painkillers! ...Especially when Tony's on them!_

"Fine. Where's Ducky?" She huffed, looking urgently around her.

"He's sitting in reception with Abby." He grinned annoyingly. "I told him you'd be there about five minutes from now." Threateningly, Kate raised a balled fist. "Hey!" Tony shouted, recoiling back, then remembered the sleeping man occupying the bed in front of them and lowered his voice to little more than a whisper. "...Hey...Injured man here."

"That's not all you'll be if you two don't shut up!" Gibbs grumbled from the bed. He sounded exhausted and soon the room was full of the sound of his deep breathing once more.

"Sorry, boss..." The two offending agents murmured, but Gibbs was already blissfully unaware of his agents' apologies. After being interrupted by Gibbs, Kate found she had lost her anger at Tony and hoisted her overnight bag off the floor and over her shoulder. "What about...?" Kate whispered, bobbing her head in Gibbs' direction.

"I'll sit with him for a while..." Tony yawned, his eyes already half closed. "I'm sure I can persuade one of my nurses to put an extra comfy chair in here for her _favourite_ patient." Even when half asleep, Tony knew how to annoy Kate and he smiled sweetly up at her. "Oh yeah? What's this patient's name?" Kate teased before speedily disappearing through the door and hurrying down the corridor.

* * *

"Looks like it's just you and me, boss." Tony muttered happily to the silent room as he settled cautiously into the nearest and most comfortable-looking high-backed chair. "I'd prefer it if it was just me, DiNozzo." His boss growled quietly, making the younger agent wince at his hoarse voice. More than that though, Tony detected the subtle lack of hostility in the man's voice and relaxed, smiling as he thought of what that could mean.

_Maybe he _does_ like me! Maybe Steve was right. No, it was _Stan_ not Steve..._

"That's so not going to happen, boss...At least not until Abby gets back here tomorrow morning. Ducky is practically dragging her out by the pigtails." Gleefully, Tony giggled at his small joke which made Gibbs roll his eyes. "She swore she'd kill me and leave no evidence if I even so much as went to the head down the hall." Gibbs smiled sleepily as his senior field agent held up one hand in defence. "It was the only way to get her to go home and get some sleep. Even with Ducky snapping at her heels like some sort of rabid dog!" Gibbs sighed – he hardly had the energy to keep his eyes open let alone stop Tony from rambling with a swift headslap – and allowed his tired eyelids to droop shut, thinking Tony's rambling would at least help him block the pain long enough to get some sleep: there was absolutely no way Gibbs was going to ask for something to numb the pain.

_I don't even need them! ...Neither does Tony by the sound of it..._

Tony's incessant rambling stopped, interrupting Gibbs' new-found peace. "Sorry, boss. Am I keeping you awake?"

"No, DiNozzo, you were putting me to sleep." Tony could not quite work out whether Gibbs was being sarcastic or serious, but the next husky bark confirmed his suspicion that Gibbs was having trouble sleeping through the pain. "Talk!" For the length of time it had taken for him to demand that Tony begin chattering again, Gibbs had managed to prop his eyes open and fix an _almost_ harsh glare on his senior field agent, but now, having quickly run out of things to say, Gibbs closed them again and let Tony's endless waffling wash over him, slowly eroding the lump of pain occupying his chest.

* * *

Sleepily and with great effort – his eyelids felt as if they were glued together – _DiNozzo! _–Gibbs prised open his eyes slowly, gingerly waiting for a spear of light to stab through his eyeballs and lance straight into his brain, but it did not come. Instead, Gibbs's ears eventually registered a soft, rhythmic purring that lapped through the room, barely degrading the near-silence of the hospital room. He looked around for the source, his eyes resting momentarily on the sleeping form of Anthony DiNozzo, before being drawn to a smaller, yet more frightening silhouetted figure at the door.

_Oh God, not Nurse Donaldson again... Why am I afraid of this woman?_

Hoping she would not notice, Gibbs closed his eyes as quietly as he could while maintaining a rhythm of deep breaths, trying desperately to feign sleep. Unfortunately, Nurse Donaldson was one of the few people that could see through Gibbs' sleeping façade. She sneaked up to the side of the bed without alerting the marine: she even managed to avoid Tony's lanky legs that stuck right out into her immediate path. Checking Gibbs' intravenous line, the imposing woman surveyed both men with a mixture of pity, respect and annoyance.

The lights in the corridor cast enough dim light over her patient's face for her to know Gibbs was awake, but she did not try and engage him in any type of conversation – medically relevant or not, the man needed to rest. Also being aware of the injury Agent DiNozzo was carrying, she knew that sleeping in an uncomfortable chair with no support for his wounded shoulder would leave him excruciatingly stiff in the morning. Tapping lightly on the younger man's good shoulder, Nurse Donaldson tried to rouse him. "Agent DiNozzo?" His snoring stopped abruptly with a loud snort and, as he blinked open his eyes, locking them blankly with hers, she took a step back, still somehow managing to avoid his legs which were splayed out across the floor. It took him a moment to recognise the fierce woman in front of him and then, wiping the sleep from his eyes with the back of his left hand, he asked politely, "What time is it, ma'am?"

"It's a little after midnight – well after visiting hours. I must insist that you return to your own room, Agent DiNozzo, otherwise you'll drive my nurses crazy tomorrow when you need more painkillers because of a stiff shoulder... which you'll get if you stay slouched in that chair for much longer!" Tony shook his head adamantly, watching Gibbs for any sign of waking.

"I want to stay with my boss."

"Agent DiNozzo, your boss will still be here in the morning... in fact..." She glanced at her watch for a second. "...depending on how long you sleep, Agent Gibbs may be in the same room as you by the time you wake up. Of course, to make sure you sleep, I could always ask the doctor to give you a sedative that'll put you out for at least twelve hours." Tony let out a long, drawn-out sigh, wordlessly admitting defeat – there was no way this woman was letting him stay in Gibbs' room overnight, no matter what he said – and stood up, swaying briefly as he got used to being completely upright again. He took one last look at his boss, selfishly hoping the man had been woken by Nurse Donaldson's insistence, but there was no sign of him doing anything but sleeping peacefully, and Tony allowed himself to be led from the room and down the corridor to his own one.

As he slumped wearily into his bed, hauling the covers up over his legs, and laid his head back on the pillow, sighing drowsily, the commanding woman at his elbow raised the head of the bed, elevating it to a more comfortable angle for Tony to sleep at. The last thing Tony heard as he closed his eyes, drifting into calm oblivion, was, "If you even _think _about getting out of your bed without my authorisation, I'll know and I'll have you restrained. I treat SEALs and marines for a living – one little NCIS agent isn't a problem..."

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**A/N: As usual, reviews are welcome, although, depending on how much FF hates us all, I may not be able to reply to them. *eye-roll* **


	14. The Fall of Pride

**A/N: First off - Review Reply is _still_ broken and reviews that have been submitted since the 9th are 'non-existent**' **on the FanFic site, but I'm still getting the emails with them so don't be disheartened if you don't see your review pop up.**

**Secondly - Huge thanks to all of you that reviewed last chapter (and again my apologies if I haven't gotten back to you) - Aussielover, diana teo, Gloworm41, twomoms, inkpen1, bookworm2dance, Krows Scared, louise, silvanelf and XX-Samantha-XX. The 'Loyals'! xD :D**

**Anyway, here's the next chapter. It's a bit longer than my recent ones which will _hopefully_ excuse me slightly if I don't get the chance to update tomorrow.**

**_Read, enjoy, review._ - Leroy Jethro Gibbs (ok, so I'm joking, but still...).**

* * *

As he woke, he became painfully aware of an annoyingly shrill cry of indignation emanating a few metres to his right. Gibbs could only recognise the high-pitched nature of the sound and the hint of frustration that encircled it – the rest was muffled and barely audible, but he could work out who was making the noise.

_DiNozzo, Kate, I swear, if you don't get your asses in gear and work as a team, you won't be able to think for a month!_

There was something brushing lightly against the tip of his nose, but Gibbs did not have the strength to move a hand to swipe it away. Instead, despite the rest of his body screaming at him to stop looking out for the team – they could handle themselves for a while – and to just rest, he forced his eyes open, squinting against the glare.

_I don't remember there being a light source near us in the building... Oh crap, I'm hallucinating!_

His hearing gradually returned to normal and he could make out what the people were saying. "...Tony! Why do you always try and destroy _my_ army?" That was Kate, although he had no idea what she was talking about. He could just make out the dark silhouette of a figure sitting upright on a bed and shrugging with half its body. "Because it's fun..." There was short burst of laughter from a third figure on the bed before the second silhouette looked away from the table swung across its legs and directly at Gibbs, who was lying in the next bed and looking at the scene before him in utter confusion. "Oh, hey boss! We're just playing Risk. Want to join?" Gibbs had just enough strength to glare at the young man and convey his resounding 'No' before his eyes threatened to close on him again. Moments later, from the other bed, there was a low level of rustling and conspiring whispers and Kate began carefully sorting through all the different coloured plastic pieces strewn across the board and Tony's bed, shoving them into their own little packets.

Abby, meanwhile, leapt from the bed and, in two short bounds, was standing next to Gibbs, bouncing on the spot. Gibbs, unable to reach the bed control, stared up at her, attempting to smile warmly at the young goth. Abby smiled wholeheartedly back – not fazed by Gibbs' lack of strength to even smile properly and sending waves of guilt crashing through Gibbs' brain as her smile outstripped his by several nautical miles. "Hey, Abbs..." He croaked, his eyes scanning the room for a glass of water and finally settling on a large jug balancing on Tony's bedside table.

"Do you want a drink, Bossman?" Abby asked quietly, obviously endeavouring to stop herself from exploding in joy at finally being able to talk to a _conscious_ Jethro Gibbs. His throat dry, Gibbs replied, "...Lease..." As Abby reached for the water, Kate finished folding the board away and, after managing to retrieve the dice from Tony – he was trying to sneak them under his pillow, although Kate could not figure out why – turned to Gibbs, a playful smile on her face. "He must be sick – he said 'please'!" Tony, in the middle of taking a rather large gulp of water, snorted then proceeded to cough violently as he tried to expel the water that had slipped down his trachea. Gibbs could only watch in tired amusement as Abby slapped Tony on the back, mindful of his shoulder injury, until he stopped. "Thanks, Abby..." Tony wheezed. The coughing had sparked off new pain in his shoulder and, sitting up, he felt dizzy and light-headed. Kate, noticing Tony's slightly glazed look, gently pushed him back so that he was resting against the numerous pillows stacked behind him. Gibbs wanted to ask him if he was ok, but Abby was already back at his side, a small cup half-full of water in one hand and slowly raising the head of the bed with the other.

As it got closer to 45 degrees, Gibbs gasped, his left arm shooting across his body and grabbing Abby's arm and making her stop immediately. She also dropped the cup, but it was fortunately made of plastic and did not shatter, leaving Abby with wet feet only and not serious cuts. "Oh God, Gibbs, are you alright?" She sounded on the verge of tears and it took most of Gibbs' diminished strength to just force open his eyes and look at her. He could see the tears forming as they locked eyes and he forced his mouth into a reassuring smile. "...It's nothin', Abbs... Jus' my ribs..." She did not look reassured but after a while, when Gibbs had finally stopped squeezing her arm, she grimaced and leant closer to the marine to whisper, "Sorry, Gibbs. I'd hug you but then I'd only hurt you again." Instead of a hug, she slipped her hand into his right hand.

"Drink?" Gibbs asked again, deciding that Abby had said enough – she had not needed to apologise: he had forgiven her as soon as she asked if he was alright. The young woman nodded and bent down to pick up the cup she had dropped, bringing her eyes level with the back of Gibbs' left hand – his left arm still draped across his body. "Uh... Gibbs, you sure you're alright?" She asked nervously. At her tone, Tony – who had been lying back with his eyes closed and trying to shut out the pain – and Kate, who had been keeping a silent but watchful eye on Tony, turned to the pair at the other bed. "Boss?"

"Yeah... Why?" Gibbs queried, slightly distracted by a stinging sensation in his hand.

"Well, you've ripped the cannula out, that's why, Gibbs, and it's bleeding." Abby stated with her hands on her hips. Sighing, Kate reached for another button at Tony's bedside.

"I'll call the nurse."

* * *

"...There you are, Agent Gibbs. I'll leave Nurse Donaldson to get you comfortable again." Gibbs rolled his eyes as soon as the doctor broke eye contact.

_Gee, thanks..._

Nodding to Dr. Koertig as he left, Gibbs glared at the woman standing to his left. He had a new cannula inserted into his left elbow and his left hand had a thin layer of bandage wrapped round it. The doctor had been kind and careful not to cause too much pain but it still throbbed, and his ribs were not feeling any better. He tried to hide the pain, but, unfortunately for the marine, Nurse Donaldson had noticed his pinched expression. "Let me guess: you're too stubborn to admit when you're in pain. Well, if you won't tell my nurses then there's nothing I can do."

"You could stop sticking me with unnecessary needles." Gibbs retorted, maintaining as intense a glare as he could.

"Not going to happen, Gibbs." She replied brusquely. "And you'll leave that nasal cannula alone too!" Donaldson added, catching his hand just as he reached to pull it off. From the other bed, there was a snort of laughter as, in awe, Tony watched the woman treating Gibbs like a child. "One word, DiNozzo, and I'll stick my boot so far up your a—" Another woman, thicker-set than the head nurse but not as stern-looking, stepped between the two beds, cutting off Gibbs' view of Tony, but it was Donaldson that spoke. "You'll do no such thing, Gibbs. Not only would that constitute assault but it would also involve _you_ getting out of your bed – an action which I, as _boss_ on this ward, have strictly forbidden. Nurse Owens..." She nodded to the woman between the two men – a movement Gibbs found oddly intimidating – and a set of restraints appeared. There was another snort of laughter from Tony's bed as he watched Gibbs turn very pale.

"I did warn you and your team what would happen if either you or Agent DiNozzo over there did yourselves further injury while enjoying yet _another_ stay at Bethesda naval hospital, Agent Gibbs. So I'm afraid I've no other choice but to have you restrained until your wounds have healed sufficiently for you to attend physiotherapy sessions." She said this with a pleased smile and a frightening glare. Gibbs could barely stutter out an excuse as she continued to lock his eyes to hers. "But I..."

"No 'buts', Leroy." She replied, completely ignoring Gibbs' scowl at her use of his first name.

"It's not like I did it on purpose, and you said if I tried to get out of bed, which I didn't." Gibbs explained, Tony sniggering loudly from his bed, ignoring his boss' glowers telling him to shut up.

_He sounds like some indignant teenager – I guess he needs his coffee._

"Too bad, Gibbs." Donaldson growled, taking the opportunity while Gibbs was distracted by Tony's noise-making to fasten one of the brown leather restraints round Gibbs' left wrist and attach it to the bed. She was either very well trained or had timed it perfectly because Gibbs did not even have time to whip his hand away after he realised what she was doing. He rattled it relentlessly, trying in vain to find a weakness in the strong material, but the restraints were doing their job and not letting him move his arm much – stopping him from pulling the IV out and also from grabbing at the nasal cannula supplying a small volume of extra oxygen to him. Gibbs thrashed again, this time more violently; cursing as pain exploded through his chest, then lay still – wordlessly admitting defeat to the restraint.

"Do I need to do your other arm too?" Owens asked, cocking one eyebrow as she took in the thin sheen of sweat that coated Gibbs forehead. Grudgingly and through gritted teeth, Gibbs grunted, "No." Tony sat there in shock: his amusement at the situation completely gone – replaced by a stunned silence that rattled through his brain.

After checking Gibbs' IV and his nasal cannula for the last time, the two stocky nurses started towards the door only to be stopped by a quiet request from the stubborn marine. "_Now _can you let my team back in?" He regretted even opening his mouth when Donaldson turned round, smirking.

"Say 'please', Agent Gibbs." Once again she took Gibbs' death-scowl in her stride and continued smiling. Tony coughed to cover yet another snort of laughter.

_Oh you're an evil woman... Evil, but very good at controlling Gibbs. I wonder if that's what his ex-wives were like._

Gibbs, having already been embarrassed enough by this terror of a woman, refused to be humiliated further and just closed his eyes, trusting Tony to get the team back together. He was surprised at how drained he felt and simply drifted into a light doze.

After Tony had successfully asked if the team could come back in – Nurse Donaldson allowing it not only because he said 'please' but also because, now that the younger agent was sharing a room with his boss, he seemed to have stopped harassing her nurses - they gathered around Tony's bed once more, watching Gibbs as Tony related the more humorous aspects of his latest encounter with the head nurse. Gibbs grunted in Russian frequently as he slept and, each time, Abby would get up and place a gentle hand in his unrestrained one, calming him instantly. Eventually she just stayed at his side, sitting on the edge of the bed and smiling each time he woke and gradually became lucid again. "Hey, Gibbs." He blinked up at her, slightly confused at how she had managed to get in to his room. "Tony asked for you." She replied in answer to his silent question. "And before you ask: no, I cannot take that off for you... And I won't." The young goth pointed at Gibbs' left wrist – obviously meaning the restraint. "It's for your own good, and if she hadn't done, it then I would have."

"I know, Abbs, but it makes talking to you a lot more difficult." Gibbs sighed, pulling at his restraint to scrub a hand down his face, but it would not give. Abby smiled roguishly and raised her hands so that Gibbs could see them and then started signing. _*Yeah, but I can still talk to you easily*_ Gibbs rolled his eyes, smiling again.

"I know..." She watched him struggle to keep his eyes open and then turned to Tony and Kate, who were bickering about something Tony had said that was 'insensitive to women'.

"Kate, we should give the guys... ok, Gibbs some rest. Do you want anything, Tony?" Abby asked, gathering her coat from the empty chair next to Tony's bed. Tony glanced nervously at Kate and then smiled. "Erm... You know where I keep my magazines in my apartment, right Abby?"

"No, but I'm sure it can't be too hard – your place must be full of them!" Abby chuckled, watching as Kate slapped Tony on the back of his head. "Ow! What was that for, Kate?" Tony whined, rubbing his sore head with his hand. "For asking Abby to get your dirty magazines for you." She answered curtly, folding her arms across her chest.

"You don't mind, do you, Abbs?" Tony asked, pleading for her to agree while also smiling sweetly at Kate.

"Nope. I'll bring them in when I come back later... Anything else, my lord?" Abby joked, setting off Kate, who, despite her annoyance at Tony's comments, fell about in fits of giggles. Playing along, Tony answered, "No. Now, be gone!" And, with a mock-impatient and rather flamboyant wave of his hand, the still tittering young women rolled their eyes simultaneously and then left, the Risk box stowed safely under Abby's arm.

* * *

**A/N: Ooh isn't that Nurse Donaldson mean? I have NO idea what makes me write her as if she's a matron from 60 years ago! *shrugs***

**Depending on how the 'revision' goes tomorrow, I may or may not update, but you won't have to wait more than a day and a half for the next chapter.**

**Reviews?  
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	15. Hell and High Water

**A/N: Thanks to all the reviewers - Aussielover, SLE, poison_ivy_7, Gloworm41, inkpen1, XX-Samantha-XX, laoisbabe and iGymnast. Unfortunately, this is going to be the penultimate chapter. :( *cries*  
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**To SLE - Thanks for the constructive criticism and for being honest. I know Tony in his 'frat boy' persona can be annoying sometimes, but, remeber, this is set in the first season, and Tony was a lot less serious than he is in later seasons. Of course his silliness also seems to be a coping mechanism - as shown in S.W.A.K.**

**To poison_ivy_7 - Thanks for the con. crit. If I'm perfectly honest, I think you're right - this is dragging a little but there's only one more chapter to go after this one. Also, it's a little hard to put in 'action' in a hospital room on a Navy base at the _end_ of a story. And the restraint thing was necessary to get Gibbs/Tony interaction going in this chapter.  
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Five minutes after Kate and Abby left, Tony shoved the adjustable table away from his bed, wincing as it clattered noisily into the wall, drawing a few concerned glances from the nurses' station which sat just outside the twin room. "DiNozzo..." Gibbs groaned – the sudden crashing and banging adding to yet another pounding headache. It was a gentle reprimand but even so it instilled in Tony that same sense of fear he had felt every time his mother or father returned home from a late night business 'meeting' that inevitably involved large volumes of alcohol and small quantities of restraint and common sense. He waved embarrassedly to the watching medical staff and then slowly positioned himself so that he was lying comfortably on his left side, his right arm resting along his bent legs. "I'm sorry, boss..."

"DiNozzo..." This time it was merely a request for the younger agent to stop speaking for just a second. Despite the weariness Gibbs was experiencing far too much of lately, he managed to shift enough to be able to see Tony without pulling excessively on his stitched-up shoulder.

Hours ago and in the blink of an eye, Gibbs had managed to formulate what he wanted to say but now, when that time had come, he struggled to put it into words. "I... I was... In there... I'm... You..." Each time Gibbs fumbled, his embarrassment grew, his face growing redder and redder as he failed to say anything articulate. It certainly did not help that his senior field agent was sitting across the room, listening intently.

_And they thought my marriages failed because I _wouldn't _talk to them!_

Tony cringed at his boss' obvious discomfort at having to disclose his feelings – Gibbs was not the only one to find the repeated fumbles awkward. "Boss, it's alright – I know—" Gibbs shook his head as firmly as he could. "No, Tony, you don't..." The silence that followed engulfed the two men, smothering them and clouding their thoughts: trying to speak felt like trying to pursue a suspect through a vat of grease.

Gibbs, still floundering to remember how he had imagined this conversation as he lay awake the night before, gasped as he tried to push himself further up the bed with his one useable arm, hampered by the unnecessary restraint wrapped around his wrist. He muttered a curse, and suddenly it came to him. "You remember I said I had a dog like you, DiNozzo?"

"Yeah, boss. How could I forget?" Tony quipped, smiling as he remembered his own confusion at the comment made seemingly an age ago, glad that Gibbs had finally managed to come up with something to say – whatever he said would definitely be less embarrassing for the man than not being able to say anything at all.

"Well...she would always come back to me, no matter what..." Tony was intrigued – this was a new convoluted way for Gibbs to praise him. "What happened to i— her?"

"She drowned." Gibbs replied with no hint of emotion in his voice, but his eyes squinted. Gibbs' blunt answer shocked Tony, stunning him into silence.

Tony's staggered quiet spurred Gibbs on. "...I was out sailing with her once. It was windy, far too windy to be out, but I was younger then... The boat turned turtle and I must've taken a knock from the boom." Tony was silent for a while: if Gibbs wanted to talk about something personal then there was no way Tony was going to interrupt such a rare occurrence. "...The next thing I remember is being woken the crew of a yacht. She'd dragged me onto the hull – there were bite marks in my gear – but there was no sign of her..." When he did not, Tony could only think of one thing to say – he knew it might come across as callous but Gibbs was back to being embarrassed and giving him a reason to headslap Tony might distract him. "I'm sorry, boss... but I'm definitely not going sailing with you anytime soon." Tony said, smiling warily and waiting for Gibbs' reaction to the joke. Surprisingly, the gunnery sergeant chuckled, but, as it renewed the sharp needles of pain poking through Gibbs' ribs, the two agents settled into a more comfortable, infinitely less embarrassing silence.

But, slowly, Gibbs' very vague deeper meaning seeped through Tony's painkiller daze that was just beginning to wear off. "Were... Were you... Are you complementing me, boss?" Gibbs made no attempt to confirm or deny anything, instead closing his eyes with a soft sigh. Tony beamed, knowing what the silence meant.

_Silence _with _a glare is bad, very bad. Silence _without_ a glare is good... I think._

"You _were_! They don't say I'm a brilliant investigator for nothing, you know!" Gibbs let a cynical grin stretch his cheeks, ignoring the pain it brought. "So what am I, boss? Loyal? Determined? Companionable..." Tony called, dramatically sweeping his hair back and grooming it into shape. Silently, he added the most important thing.

_I'd go through hell and high water for you, Gibbs._

"...Devious. Impulsive. A pain in the ass... Need I go on?" Gibbs added, grinning at his agent's hurt pout. "...You're all of those things, DiNozzo... Hell, if you weren't, I'd never've hired you. No one else can piss other people off like you do." As Tony processed this, several emotions crossed his features. At first, he looked hurt that Gibbs thought he was a pain in the ass. Then he took in the man's unusually broad grin and beamed back at him. "As annoying as you are, Tony, you're a good agent, a good investigator, and you did me proud in there." The agent in question simply lay there, his eyes wide, his mouth hanging open comically, in stunned silence.

_Burley was definitely right._

Eventually remembering to shut his floored mouth, Tony broke out of his astonished stupor and realised Gibbs had fallen asleep again, hissing softly every time he unconsciously tried to roll onto either of his sides and not only flexing his shoulder wound – sparking fresh pain in his battered torso – but also disturbing his broken leg.

* * *

As Tony watched, he witnessed slight shivers coursing through the man's body, originating in his hands and spreading up his arms and seeping across his still bare chest. Before they had moved Gibbs, the nurses had turned up the heating in the large room, but it was winter and the size of the room meant that the heat dispersed quicker, heating the room more slowly. It did not help that a lot of the Gibbs' energy was being used up by the healing process.

Getting shakily to his feet – it still took a few moments for him to regain his balance when he stood up, but at least the IV line had been removed the day before, his painkillers now being administered orally – Tony quietly walked over to the radiator, turning it up another couple of notches, then moved to Gibbs's side. The marine's arms were both exposed as well and to pull the blanket up further would require Tony to move them.

_Even if he was awake, Gibbs couldn't do it himself thanks to 'The Hulk'. The left one'll be no problem if I can get round that restraint Nurse 'Ratchet' - she's probably got PMS or something - put on him, but shifting the other one without waking him'll be more difficult... And I've only got one useable arm... Maybe I should just give him my spare blanket..._

Coming to a decision, Tony undid the single restraint and gently grasped Gibbs' limp left wrist, tentatively pushing it under the edge of the blanket while trying hard to avoid catching the cannula and IV line that was hooked up to the crook of Gibbs' elbow, which allowed him to pull it diagonally across the older man's stomach. As the blanket tugged at Gibbs injured arm, he groaned but did not stir, letting Tony release his held breath. He stuffed the undone restraint under the blanket, making it look like Tony had done nothing to it.

_Now the other one... Hopefully he's still as exhausted as he was yesterday..._

Fortunately for Tony and also for Gibbs, the nurses had left his right arm angled up, his hand and wrist resting on his hip. This meant Tony was easily able to get a loose grip round his wrist while still supporting his hand. However, unlike with the other arm which was uninjured, Tony knew that he would hurt Gibbs and run the risk of waking him if he just straightened it and slid it under the cloth. Instead he slowly bent Gibbs' elbow a fraction more and also raised the arm off the bed, cautiously watching his boss' face for any sign of discomfort. There was, however, no way Tony, with one arm in a sling and pretty much unusable, could move the blanket and hold Gibbs' arm.

_That nurse woman is going to restrain me if I pull out my stitches..._

Another shiver ran through Gibbs, another soft moan escaping the sleeping man's lips, and Tony realised there was no other choice.

_Gibbs would do the same for me... for any of us... Definitely not calling a nurse!_

Swallowing nervously at the thought of being on the receiving end of Nurse Donaldson's wrath – it more than equalled Gibbs' – Tony pulled off his sling and gradually, painfully pulled the blanket all the way over Gibbs' chest and up to his shoulders, leaving just the top edge of the white square taped to his skin peeking out from under it. Anxiously replacing Gibbs' arm on the bed, Tony studied Gibbs' face in the gloom, startled by the creased brow and taut mouth, but, squinting to discern the shut eyelids, Tony relaxed, knowing Gibbs had somehow stayed asleep despite all the pain he had inflicted. Inexplicably, the young Italian felt the overwhelming urge to pat the man's good shoulder, to sit and guard the gunnery sergeant who, in his own unique way, had taught him, disciplined him and supported him throughout the last two years, but he resisted it, getting a gut feeling that Gibbs would wake up as soon as Tony reached out.

Tony turned round and was about to take a step towards his bed when a barely audible, hoarse whisper came from behind. "Thank you, Anthony." Wheeling round to face Gibbs, Tony found the man asleep, or at least pretending to be asleep. Either way, Tony knew that was all that would be said between them until morning. A wave of happiness washed over Tony, drowning out the nag of concern for his boss that still remained and crushing the throb of pain he felt in his shoulder.

_How can one man, one sentence, make me feel so... so..._

He could not even put his feelings into words, however, swallowing the lump that was taking up residence in his throat, Tony managed to whisper back, "You're welcome... Jethro." He did not expect a reply but still he stood, frozen to the spot, waiting. Tony had no idea how long he stood there – he only knew when he had been there too long and his legs shook and he finally turned away again.

He stumbled back to his own bed, grimacing as he swung round too quickly and shifted his wounded shoulder, and climbed gracelessly into it, flopping onto his left side and ignoring the searing pain the movement caused. Again, he found himself watching Gibbs – it was strange, frightening even, to see the man, who rarely slept let alone slept in a bed, caught deeply by the claws of sleep for such a long time. He wanted to wake him up – it was so unsettling. But, like Abby had done all those hours ago when sitting next to Tony, he resisted that compulsion, and joined Gibbs in the land of dreams.

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**A/N: There you go. Hope you like this. Reviews and con. crit. welcome. This is the second-last chapter, but you'll have to wait until Sunday or maybe even Monday to read the concluding chapter.**

**A couple of things for those of you who don't sail/ know what the sailing terms mean:**

**To turn turtle a boat is to roll it upside down when on the water(sometimes sticking the mast in the mud and stopping you from righting the boat if you're _extra_ lucky)**.

**A 'boom' is the horizontal bar on a boat that is connected to the vertical pole (the mast). Some are hollow and made of aluminum (the new ones are at least) but the older ones are generally solid wood or, if you're _really_ unlucky, solid metal. The boom holds the sail out to catch the wind but when you turn (tacking and gibing) the boom swings from one side to the other. If you're too slow to react and duck then BOOM... hence the name. It hurts like hell and I've seen it knock people out!  
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	16. This Is A Call

**A/N: *cries* Can't believe I'm ending this - there has been such an amazing response to this and I will say no more than to thank those of you who reviewed last chapter and a special thanks to the loyals who reviewed EVERY chapter :D I really am grateful and this would probably not be nearly as good as it is if it weren't for you guys so thank you!  
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_Twelve Days Later_

Tony strolled down the bland white corridor that seemed to look exactly like the last four he'd wandered through. His left arm was gripped tightly by Abby – his other still confined to a dark blue sling that did not go with any of his suits. Despite Abby's firm grasp, however, Tony could barely feel the pain as she accidentally pinched his skin – he was still taking painkillers. The pair stopped just short of the desk that cordoned off a messy area with files stacked high in in/out trays. In front of them, a squat woman, who was on the phone, sat with her back turned. She was scrawling notes furiously over a sheet of A4 paper and muttering replies to the person on the other end. Tony caught some of what she said. On their own, the words would have meant nothing, but to Tony and Abby, and all in the same conversation, 'marine', 'coffee', 'relentlessly annoying' and 'wood working' could mean only one thing. They glanced at each other and smiled knowingly.

_Gibbs is having fun...  
_

Suddenly, the woman slammed down the phone and swivelled round to curtly interrogate the people hovering at the front of her desk. "Yes?"Tony smiled awkwardly as he recognised the woman. "Ah, Agent DiNozzo..."

"Nurse Donaldson." Tony replied grudgingly, cringing as she inspected him for further injuries.

"I could've sworn I told you that I didn't want to see you on my ward for at least six months. Gotten into more trouble already, have you?" She asked abruptly, shaking her head in mock disapproval. "Ah, no, ma'am." Tony replied hastily, looking desperately at Abby to signal that now was the time to come in. She smiled back at him. "We're here to collect Agent Gibbs – he's being released... I mean, he's being _discharged_ today..."

"Indeed he is, Agent DiNozzo." Dr. Koertig said, striding out of Gibbs' room and extending a hand to shake both Abby and Tony's hands. Through the glass door, Abby smiled to Gibbs who was sitting up on his bed and wearing baggy, gray trousers – under which his cast only just fitted – and a dark blue top with 'NIS' emblazoned in large white letters on the front. His right arm hung in a sling that matched Tony's except that it was white – Ducky had helpfully dropped off the clothes for Gibbs the night before. Gibbs smiled back at the forensic scientist and reached for the single crutch that rested against his bedside, stopping abruptly when Abby signed to him, _*Don't you dare.*_ He nodded awkwardly – after all he, Tony and Kate had put her through, she deserved some piece of mind that he was not going to do something stupid – and she smirked back: pleased that, for once, he was following her instructions.

Motioning for the NCIS employees to follow him, Koertig steered a wheelchair into Gibbs' room and parked it a few feet from the bed. Abby side-stepped past the man and strode excitedly up to Gibbs. "Hey Gibbs! We're here to bust you out!" She made to fling her arms around him but, registering Gibbs' flinch, stopped a few inches short. and smiled sheepishly "I forgot." She muttered apologetically. "It's alright, Abby." He nodded to Tony who was standing back, waiting for Abby and Gibbs to finish. "DiNozzo, you going to stand there or help Abby... bust me out?" Tony chuckled and took a step forward to push the chair closer to the bed even though he could only use one hand, applying the brakes with experienced ease. "Not what I meant, DiNozzo." Gibbs growled – a sound that would have been intimidating and unpleasant if it were not for the smile that played on Gibbs' lips. Not letting Tony reply, Koertig interrupted the trio. "Agent Gibbs, you'll be travelling to the front doors in a wheelchair as the crutch is only for moving around short distances at home. Extended use will slow down the healing process in your shoulder and ribs and lead to a longer recovery period."

_A prospect I suspect you do not relish, Agent Gibbs._

Fishing a couple of small rectangular boxes out of his pocket, Koertig handed Tony the packets. "Take one before you go to bed, first thing in the morning with your breakfast but you need to leave six hours between doses." Itching to be let out of the damn hospital, Gibbs remained silent, but Abby nodded for him. "... And you need to keep that leg..."

"Elevated. I know, doc." Gibbs barked. Gently, Abby slapped him on the back of his head.

"Play nice, Gibbs." She hissed, smiling innocently at Gibbs' shocked stare. Tony sneezed, breaking the strange silence that filled the room.

_That better not've been a laugh, DiNozzo!_

"Well, in that case, Agent Gibbs, I'd say you can go home now." Koertig supplied, intending to step forward to help his patient off the bed but beaten to it by Agent DiNozzo and Abby Scuito. Hissing as he put pressure on his right arm, Gibbs stood shakily, supported by his two colleagues. Tony grabbed the crutch before Gibbs could and then moved out of Abby's way as she attempted to help him into the waiting wheelchair – he kept trying to shrug her hands off his one good shoulder, but she held on relentlessly – almost pushing him down into it.

As Gibbs tried to get comfortable, his left leg sticking out in front of him like a lance, he remained quiet but for the odd curse. However, neither Tony nor Abby were offended by Gibbs' apparent lack of gratitude: they had both experienced an injured Gibbs before and it was always like this. Playfully shoving tony out of the way, Abby grasped the handles tightly – only releasing one of them to shake Dr. Koertig's hand for the second time this visit – then pushed Gibbs out of the door with Tony trailing just behind. They both practically ignored Nurse Donaldson, pausing only to sign the discharge papers and to say a short 'Thank you' before moving on down the hall towards the exit with Abby resolutely disregarding Gibbs' cries of 'I'm fine. I can walk!'

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Arriving at Gibbs' house, Tony had to gently shake the man's shoulder to wake him up. "Boss, you're home so you can stop pretending to be asleep just to get out of talking to us." Gibbs – his eyes flying open as if he were under attack – sitting in the back with his casted leg across the seats, looked at Tony without recognition for a second – the sheer exhaustion he felt seeping through the cracks in his mask that was almost permanently in place – and then nodded and began to agonizingly shuffle forwards. Tony stood back, dutifully holding the crutch, and could only watch as Abby helped haul Gibbs out the passenger door on the driver's side and then to his feet, supporting him as he swayed worryingly. Tucking the crutch under his arm and forever making threat assessments, Gibbs scanned the street and was not surprised to find Ducky's silver Morgan parked a few metres away. He started towards his front door, taking in Kate and Ducky standing in the open door, with Tony and Abby by his side at each slow and jerky step.

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After much explaining by Abby as to why there was a brand new television and DVD player in Gibbs' house, and even more badgering from Tony, the whole team had gathered in Gibbs' sitting room and watched _The Searchers_ – actually, Gibbs had slept through most of it: only being woken by Abby's gentle kiss to his forehead as she said goodbye – and now Gibbs stood, leaning heavily against the doorframe, and watched his team leave. A silent scowl from Abby had been his final order to rest, before she and Tony ducked into her car and followed Ducky down the street. Squinting as she left, Gibbs could have sworn Tony was not in the vehicle with her but he put it down to the overwhelming exhaustion he was experiencing. He turned awkwardly, closing the door behind him, and staggered back to the sitting room. He allowed his guard to drop and aknowledged how utterly awful he felt: every injury he was sporting making itself known with each tiny movement; his dizziness, threatening to empty his stomach; a dull throb in his lower left leg adding to the itching from the cast. In his present condition, even Gibbs had to admit that he would not be able to make it up to his bedroom without falling – not that he had been sleeping in his bed recently.

Slumping onto the couch and not even bothering to pull the quilt, which Abby had kindly draped over him before, over himself, Gibbs's eyes had been closed for only seconds when there was a loud knock at the door, jerking him awake again. "Crap!" Gibbs muttered, struggling to get back to his feet: his shoulder and damaged ribs protesting as he eventually managed to push himself up and off the comfortable seat. Limping unsteadily towards his front door, Gibbs glimpsed the outline of a tall man with dark brown hair distorted in the semi-circle of textured glass in the door.

_I didn't call pizza... Abby probably did._

He searched for his wallet but it was not in either of the pockets, nor was it on the table in the hall. Sighing, Gibbs reached for the door handle, wobbling about as he tried to balance on one foot and use his crutch hand to press down the handle.

When Gibbs finally managed to get the door open – it was not locked but he had to position his casted leg out of the door's path – he was greeted by a surprising sight. "Hey boss!" Tony cried, smiling nervously at the man in front of him. He looked shattered, but that was quickly replaced when Gibbs slammed up his mask of indifference. "Expecting someone else, Tony?" Gibbs asked as he rolled his eyes at the sight of his second-in-command.

"Ah... no, boss..." The younger agent replied, smiling softly. Gibbs raised an eyebrow.

"Get lost on the way to Abby's car?" At this, Tony could not help but chuckle, relaxing when Gibbs smiled back, although there was a slight glare directed at Tony.

"Didn't Abby make you promise to stay off your..." Gibbs's stare gradually wore down Tony's resolve until he could no longer finish the accusation. The intensity of it made him nervous and he knew that now was the time to explain what he was doing standing at his boss' front door just moments after he had left. He shifted uneasily from one foot to the other. "My uh... boiler blew in my apartment so... it knocked out the power. I won't have any heat or electricity for a couple of weeks now."

"I know, DiNozzo. You told me that on the first morning of the case. But you're staying at Abby's now." It was a statement of pure fact, not a question, but still Tony persisted – Abby had already left after Tony had persuaded her that _he_ could persuade _Gibbs_ to let him stay. "Well, you're right: I _have_ been staying with Abby, but... I don't really want to sleep in a coffin anymore, boss, and I was wondering, since we're both injured and off rota for a while, maybe... I could..." Tony trailed off: Gibbs was still glaring at him expectantly. "...I could help you... because of your shoulder, I mean." Again, Gibbs raised one eyebrow, thoroughly amused by his agent's stumbling explanation of why he was here. Catching Gibbs' amused look, Tony quickly tried to back-track. "...Not that you're not capable of looking after yourself with one arm in a sling, one leg in a cast and the use of only one crutch – it's just I thought you might want the... company if not the help." He finished, closing his eyes, anticipating a headslap from Gibbs.

However, when the painful physical contact did not come, Tony cracked open one eye and squinted at his boss. Gibbs just looked to be deep in thought: he looked like he was having an argument with himself - not something you want to interrupt, if you value your life.

_He cares, Jethro. Why can't you just let him?_

Gibbs let out a long sigh of frustration that had been slowly building since he had been released from the hospital. It was frustration at himself rather than his team and its individual members.

_If you let him in once he'll just keep doing it._

He growled quietly and raised his left hand slowly – he did not want to suffer the humiliation of dropping his only means of sustained movement in front of his senior field agent – and scratched at the annoying stubble that prickled his chin.

_Just this once..._

"Fine, DiNozzo. You can stay at my place..." Gibbs huffed, grabbing his crutch again. Tony was grinning again.

_If it weren't for that shoulder, he'd probably be jumping up and down..._

"Thanks, bo—" Gibbs cut him off abruptly.

"—But if you so much as disturb the sawdust on my basement floor, I'll make you an Agent Afloat!" Tony nodded happily, ignoring Gibbs' light-hearted threat, his eyes glinting in anticipation as much as joy at having his old, threatening boss back. The nicer, open side of Gibbs – that was rarely ever seen – was beginning to unnerve him.

Awkwardly and at a pace that reminded Tony the man was still badly injured, Gibbs hobbled backwards, allowing Tony to take a couple of steps forward. "You know, this reminds me of that film with—" There was a sharp whack to the back of his skull – a sensation he had not felt in a while.

"DiNozzo, do _not_ make me regret this!" Gibbs growled, finally managing to get his crutch under control and limp back to the sitting room. Tony stood there, unable to believe he was being allowed to stay, grinning from ear to ear and watching Gibbs' retreating back before jumping to catch up with him.

_Abby's going to be so jealous!_

Slowly walking behind Gibbs as he led the way back to his sparsely decorated sitting room, Tony watched as the worn-out marine repeatedly staggered then managed to grasp the man's good shoulder and stop him from falling when Gibbs' weak muscles finally gave up and almost dropped him to the floor. Wordlessly, he slung Gibbs' arm round his shoulders, ignoring his own protesting injury, and helped the older man into the room, lowering him onto the couch and lifting Gibbs' legs up onto a pillow on the coffee table, despite his grumbled protests. Briefly, Tony contemplated dragging the thick quilt Abby had brought down from Gibbs' bedroom over its owner then decided against it.

Settling into another chair, Tony studied Gibbs. He looked exhausted and as if he was in pain but, most of all, he looked nervous and tense – whether that was his senior field agent's presence or something else, Tony did not know. His eyes were half shut but every time it looked as if he had finally fallen asleep his eyes would jerk open and survey the room, eventually landing on Tony and relaxing. Again refusing to succumb to sleep, Gibbs' restless eyes settled on the packet of painkillers on the coffee table in front of him, but he did not say anything. Following Gibbs' gaze, Tony picked up the cardboard box. He sat still, pretending to read the instructions whilst deciding what to do.

_If I wait for him to say something, he'll already be in pretty bad shape, but if I ask him, it might make things even more awkward... Damn stubborn bastard!_

Loudly, Tony sighed and rattled the box, drawing a growled 'what?' from Gibbs.

"You want any of these, boss?" Tony asked, carefully keeping his voice neutral. Gibbs sighed shakily, letting his mask slip completely and revealing to the younger agent just how much pain he was in, but he could not maintain the eye contact with the only other person in the house. Gibbs hesitated – Tony squirming uncomfortably as he fell under Gibbs' gaze again – and tried to lean forward and lift his legs off the coffee table. Unfortunately, not only did they feel like lead and refuse to respond but also pain seared across his chest as he pressed against his injured ribs, and he lay back hoarsely breathing heavily and closing his eyes. The next time he opened them, Tony was sitting on the sturdy table, one hand placed gently on Gibbs' shoulder, and watching Gibbs with great concern. It had felt like only moments, but Gibbs realised it must have been a lot longer, if the worried expression on Tony's face was anything to go by.

Jumping at Tony's proximity, Gibbs scanned his surroundings, finally latching back onto Tony when he realised he was at home. Tony smiled warmly at the man whose blue eyes were piercing his skull at that very moment. "The doc said you needed to take some of these when you were in pain and Ducky agreed..." He offered, again keeping his voice soft and neutral, and holding the box of painkillers up so that Gibbs could see them. "I know what Ducky said, DiNozzo." Gibbs growled quietly. "I'm fine." Tony could not stifle his laugh in time.

"The last time you were 'fine', you had a wooden chair leg embedded in your shoulder..." Gibbs glared at him again. "...And what Ducky didn't say to you was that I had to make sure you take these. My other option was leaving you in that hospital and I didn't think you wanted to spend any more time than _absolutely_ necessary there." Gibbs' glare softened and he nodded reluctantly. "They'll help you rest, and I promise I won't tell anyone." Tony added, holding his left hand up as if swearing an oath in court.

"Water?" Grinning, Tony grabbed a glass from the table.

"Always anticipate: you taught me that, boss."

He popped two pills from the tray and held them out in his upturned palm, letting Gibbs scoop them into his own free hand and tip them into his mouth followed by a gulp of water. The gunnery sergeant swallowed then frowned as Tony continued watching him. "You want to check I swallowed them, Tony?" He joked, feeling his eyelids droop again but refusing to let them close. Tony placed a reassuring hand on Gibbs' shoulder as the older man's eyelids finally closed, fluttering slightly as he tried to fight the pull of sleep. Tony stood up and carefully dragged the quilt over Gibbs, gently tucking it in round his shoulders before leaning cautiously forward and quietly whispering in the man's ear, "Go to sleep, boss. I've got your six."

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_He cries, but you'll rarely see him do it.  
__He loves, but he's scared to use it.  
So he hides behind the music, 'cause he likes it that way._

_The End_

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**A/N: Well there you go. I hope this wraps this up satisfactorily - I didn't want to make it too long so I cut out a few bits which will probably work their way into my next piece.**

**Reviews are most definitely welcome - whole story ones or just this chapter: whatever takes your fancy...**

**Again, thanks to silvanelf, inkpen1, Aussielover, hudson911, louise, diana teo, bookworm2dance, Gloworm41, SLE and XX-Samantha-XX for reviewing last chapter.  
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**A/N+1: The last lines in italics are from _This Is A Call_ by _Thousand Foot Krutch_ and I felt they just suited the way Gibbs is always hiding how he really feels - being a 'bastard' is his disguise.**

**Hawkeye**


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